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Committee backs sewer surcharges for Cortez annexation area, proposes annual ENR adjustment
Summary
Staff proposed two targeted sewer surcharges to cover upgrades tied to a recent annexation (Cortez) and adjacent U.S. Forest Service land: $1,005 per ERU for the Fairway Trunk Main and $2,590 per ERU for the Riverside Interceptor; the committee recommended both surcharges with annual ENR-based adjustments to the full council.
City staff briefed the committee on infrastructure needs and proposed area-specific surcharges for a recently annexed area (referred to in the presentation as "Cortez") and an adjacent U.S. Forest Service parcel.
Staff said HDR Engineering estimated a roughly $2.4 million upgrade to the Fairway Trunk Main — described as a slope/pitch correction needed to prevent backups — and an approximately $10.5 million Riverside Interceptor project to add a parallel pipe along the Centennial Trail. To allocate costs among future development, staff proposed per-equivalent-residential-unit (ERU) surcharges: $1,005 per ERU for the Fairway Trunk Main and $2,590 per ERU for the Riverside Interceptor. Staff said those surcharges would be assessed at time of building permit and adjusted annually using the Engineering News-Record (ENR) construction cost index.
Council members asked which parcels would pay which fee and what neighborhood impacts construction would cause. Staff said the Fairway Trunk Main work would likely tie up a local road for a season and that the Riverside Interceptor project would affect trail users along the Centennial Trail; staff also explained the surcharge structure aims to ensure those creating demand for the system bear the cost rather than distributing the cost across the whole customer base.
A motion to recommend that council adopt the two surcharges with annual ENR adjustments was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote. Staff will present the ordinance language for council consideration at a future meeting.
