Snowflake resident seeks relief for water-line costs; council authorizes mayor to negotiate

A Snowflake resident told the Town Council on Nov. 3 that he spent roughly $25,000 to extend a 6-inch water line to the west end of his property while installing his building permit-required service and now seeks a fair resolution for costs and inconsistencies in prior hookups.

At the post-executive-session discussion, applicant Jace Baum said he performed the work himself, submitted receipts totaling about $25,000, and presented town documentation indicating that earlier users (named in the documents as Dustin Richards and Kenneth Flake) paid $2,500 each plus a $350 meter fee. Baum noted that the $350 meter fee is $500 less than the standard $850 meter fee, and he described the water-line extension situation as "very inconsistent." The council sought clarification rather than issuing immediate compensation.

Councilmember Lynn Johnson summarized the applicant's concerns about fairness and the different costs borne by early and later users. After discussion, a motion by Councilmember Byron Lewis, seconded by Allison Perkins, passed unanimously to authorize the mayor to act as the council's agent and single point of contact to negotiate a fair resolution to the water-line extension financial obligations.

The motion does not fix an outcome on the record; it directs the mayor to pursue negotiations. The council did not record a timeline for completion of negotiations or any specific remedy (reimbursement, fee adjustment, or installment plan) in the public minutes. Baum's estimated $25,000 cost and the referenced lower meter fee for earlier users were presented as documentary evidence during his remarks.