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Council accepts developer-upgraded 8-inch water main; waives impact fees up to $36,435
Summary
The City of White Salmon approved a memorandum of understanding allowing the city to accept an 8-inch public water main installed by Alpine Grove Properties and waive water and sewer impact fees not to exceed $36,435; staff reported a net financial benefit to the city of $39,547.32 and the motion passed 4-0.
The White Salmon City Council on Feb. 4 approved a memorandum of understanding with Alpine Grove Properties that authorizes acceptance of a developer-installed eight-inch public water main and waives water and sewer impact fees in an amount not to exceed $36,435.
Director of Public Works Chris True told the Council the City was required by the Washington State Department of Health to relocate a discovered 2-inch water line and that the proposed developer-installed 8-inch main would address the issue. True said the MOU would waive "water and sewer impact fees totaling $36,435" and that by not installing a replacement 2-inch line the City would avoid $75,982.32 in costs; based on the analysis True stated the "net financial benefit to the City would be $39,547.32," in addition to the infrastructure benefit of upgrading to an 8-inch main.
Council Member Doug Rainbolt said he viewed the MOU as a good-faith transaction but expressed concern about whether the agreement is proportional and noted a proportionality analysis had not been conducted. Council Member Ben Giant asked whether the 8-inch main matched the City’s water system plan; Director True and Giant said the 8-inch sizing was recommended by the City’s engineer and consistent with the water system plan.
The Council approved the MOU by a 4-0 vote (moved by Patty Fink; seconded by Ben Giant). City Attorney Shawn MacPherson advised that signature and notary lines would be revised administratively and that staff would verify ownership; staff noted all three properties are owned by the same individual.
Why it matters: The agreement upgrades water infrastructure capacity for the Alpine Grove area and transfers installation cost and upgrade responsibilities to the developer while imposing a capped fiscal concession in waived impact fees. Council members requested further proportionality analysis be considered in future transactions.
What's next: Administrative edits to the document will be made for signature verification; staff will confirm ownership and return the final document for execution if required.
