Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure Wastewater topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mendon officials discuss regional sewer planning, water-pressure limits and annexation concerns
Summary
City and commission members said Mendon lacks water pressure for new subdivisions and discussed coordinating sewer planning with neighboring Wellsville, including forming a sewer district and possible county contributions to encourage annexation.
Mendon, Utah — City and commission members at Mendon’s Planning & Zoning meeting on March 19 discussed planning for wastewater and constraints on future annexation as officials weigh whether to coordinate sewer service with neighboring Wellsville.
City Council member Amy Garbe said she has spoken with the mayor and county about sewer and water and that, if Mendon pursues sewer in the future, the plan would be to partner with Wellsville. "If Mendon City ever gets to sewer, the plan is to do it with Wellsville," Garbe said, and she added that the county is willing to contribute to sewer costs to encourage annexation.
Mayor Buist explained that Wellsville currently uses lagoon treatment and that state regulators are increasingly critical of lagoon systems. He said it is "most likely" the area will need a treatment plant within the next 10 years, though he added Mendon has been told it could potentially go another 50 years without sewer. The mayor described discussing formation of a sewer district with neighboring communities and noted available property between the cities that could be used for infrastructure.
Commission members raised concerns that Mendon does not have sufficient water pressure to support potential annexed subdivisions. Several participants noted disagreements about growth policy, including worries that new development could increase property taxes for current residents without sufficient commercial space to support additional households.
As a possible policy response, commission members discussed requiring developers who propose subdivisions to set aside a portion of land for commercial zoning, an approach they said was modeled on practices in Eagle, Idaho. Commissioners also proposed distributing a newsletter with the city water bill to inform residents ahead of final general plan meetings and reduce surprises about growth proposals.
The meeting record does not include a formal decision on sewer planning; officials framed the discussion as preparatory and recommended keeping options open while the city monitors regulatory and infrastructure developments.
The commission adjourned at 8:20 p.m.
