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Mayor breaks tie; council approves reduced cost-share for Main Street property owners
Summary
After debate over which service lines the city replaced as part of a $2.2 million Main Street reconstruction, the council approved allocating roughly $47,000 in reduced costs to property owners — payable as a lump sum or interest-free over 36 months — after a 2-2 roll call that the mayor resolved in favor of the motion.
The Soda Springs City Council voted to require Main Street property owners to cover portions of sewer-service replacements tied to the city’s Main Street reconstruction project, approving a reduced, distributed cost of about $47,000.
Councilmember (speaker 4) opened the discussion by describing the overall project as “around $2,200,000” and said grant funding covered much of the curb, gutter and sidewalk work, reducing the property-owner obligation. He moved to allocate the remaining responsibility to owners and to invoice them with the option to pay in full or spread payments over 36 months interest-free; the motion was seconded by another council member.
The council discussed how the city determined which service lines had already been replaced by property owners and which would be billed. The city’s presentation said lines that had been replaced by licensed plumbers to code were excluded from the charge; lines that remained in service after decades of use were cited as a reason to replace them now rather than risk tearing up a new roadway later.
Council and staff also discussed legal risk and the need to record criteria for selecting which property owners would be invoiced. One council member asked for a clear record of the method used to determine which service lines had been replaced so the city would have a defensible public record in case of challenge.
A roll-call vote produced a 2-2 split. Council then asked the mayor to resolve the tie; the mayor said it was his responsibility to break the tie and voted to approve the motion. By the council’s roll call, Councilman Hart and Councilman Worthington recorded votes in favor, Councilman Britton and Councilman Carpenter opposed, and the mayor’s tie-breaking vote carried the motion.
Under the approved approach, the city will invoice Main Street property owners for their share of service-line replacements. The city said the per-property liability, after grant offsets and other adjustments, would range from roughly $1,700 to about $2,400 depending on whether both water and sewer service connections were required; the council emphasized property owners may choose a lump-sum payment or a 36-month interest-free plan.
Next steps: staff will send invoices and the council signaled it will provide the documentation methodology for how property owners were selected for replacement billing. The council then moved to new business.
