Public commenter urges council to add guardrails to proposed NCA language

At a July 23 special meeting, a public commenter urged the Johnstown City Council to clarify language in a proposed new community authority (NCA), saying the draft could require annexed parcels with existing sewer and water to join an NCA and pay a millage that would delay local revenue for years.

The commenter outlined two scenarios: small developments that would extend utilities and pay tap fees, and parcels outside the corporate limits that already have sewer and water and would not need NCA-funded infrastructure. "If these scenarios are forced to join an existing NCA upon annexation, you're now using revenue generated from original Johnstown to pay off debt of the PD District NCA and expand Johnstown footprint," the public commenter said. The speaker asked council to consider options that would allow nearby projects to generate revenue sooner rather than being bound to an existing NCA's debt schedule.

During the exchange another participant asked whether the phrase "irrevocably added to the authority" could be better defined and said they would ask counsel to provide a clarification, noting their preliminary research did not fully align with the state statute as cited in the meeting. The commenter offered to provide written copies of the language cited and asked council to review it at a later meeting.