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Chico council adopts area-of-benefit resolution for Bellmere sewer lift station
Summary
The City Council voted 7-0 to adopt a resolution establishing an area-of-benefit and connection-fee pass-through for the Bellmere (Belle Muir) lift station, allowing developers to connect while staff will return with a fee-schedule amendment at the next meeting.
The Chico City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to adopt a resolution establishing an area-of-benefit for the Bellmere (also referred to in staff remarks as "Belle Muir") sewer lift station, a measure staff said will ease development connections in the city's southwest quadrant.
Bridal Ottoboni, the city's director of public works engineering, told the council staff reviewed the sanitary sewer master plan and found a regional solution that uses an existing East Avenue trunk line and the Henshaw lift station to serve the area. "By doing this approach, we opened up that area ... for development to occur," Ottoboni said, adding the change will "save hundreds of thousands of dollars for the developers in this area." She said staff removed more than $300,000 in costs that were not attributable to the lift station before determining the amounts to pass through.
Ottoboni and staff cautioned that per-unit connection costs can vary by site and distance to existing lines; in the presentation staff referenced a ballpark figure of about $4,600 per unit but emphasized that the true cost depends on design, service area and final cost allocations. City staff said finance will return at the next meeting with a proposed amendment to the fee schedule to adopt the connection fee and allow connections to proceed.
A council member noted the lack of public speakers on this item: "I think that tells us that the people who were involved with the financing ... are satisfied enough with the outcome," one speaker said before moving approval. The motion passed on a roll-call vote, 7-0.
Next steps: finance staff will prepare the fee-schedule amendment for council consideration at the next meeting so developers can complete connections and obtain certificates of occupancy for near-complete homes.
Provenance: Staff presentation and council vote occurred during Item 5.1; discussion began with the staff report and concluded with the council's roll-call vote recorded as "Carries 7 0."
