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Preston council delays enforcement of sewer-connection rule after residents raise cost concerns
Summary
After residents questioned costs and whether a state agency mandated hookups, Preston City Council voted unanimously to pause code changes on mandatory sewer connections for 90 days while staff and legal counsel draft amendments and notification procedures.
Mayor Dan Keller opened a public hearing on Preston Municipal Code 13.06.130 on Aug. 12, calling residents’ attention to a requirement that buildings within 100 feet of a public sanitary sewer must connect. The hearing drew a mix of written and in-person comments focused on cost and whether the connection is mandated by state agencies.
Clerk Linda Acock read a written letter from resident Robert Kooren as the lone written submission. In public comment, David Cole said, “the word mandate is being used, but he’s not sure where the mandate comes from. The Department of Environmental Quality did not mandate the connection.” Bailey Lewis objected to the costs and asked the city to help homeowners facing connection fees; she also said some residents felt they had not been properly notified. Gary Foster warned that similar rules in nearby Nibley, Utah led to “over-development and increased density.”
City Engineer Tyrell Simpson told council that sewer grade at the affected properties is shallow and “the sewer line only goes down about six feet, so if the home has a basement most likely they will need a sewer pump, or lift station,” a factor that increases homeowner expense. Councilmembers pressed staff on how many properties are immediately affected; Simpson said six homes on 4th West are impacted by the current development.
Attorney Lyle Fuller advised the council that code changes should be implemented by ordinance and that the council could set an extended connection window and a resolution to establish connection fees. After discussion, Councilmember Terry Larson moved and Councilmember Chris Larsen seconded a motion to table changes to municipal code 13.06.130 for 90 days, to pause sending official written notices to affected homeowners during that review, and to have Councilmember Larsen work with legal counsel to draft the proposed amendments. The motion passed unanimously.
What happens next: staff and legal counsel will prepare draft ordinance language and a proposed notification and fee structure for council review within the 90-day postponement. The public hearing portion of the meeting closed without a final amendment to the code.
