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Residents and experts urge rapid action as council reviews $9 million PI bond
Summary
Residents and water-committee members urged Alpine City to address long-standing pressurized-irrigation (PI) storage and pressure shortfalls; financial advisors said a $9 million bond for a new well and pump upgrades is feasible but will likely require rate increases to meet debt-service coverage.
Tyler Carter, a Matterhorn Drive resident, told the council the city must plan now for water reliability: "If we need to raise taxes, raise taxes." The comment opened a public-comment block in which water engineers and the Alpine Water Citizens Advisory Committee described recurring summer constraints and storage shortfalls.
Jeff Davis, a longtime Alpine resident and water engineer who sits on the water community task force, summarized last year’s study: "According to last year's report, we were okay on supply but deficient on storage." He and others recommended prioritizing projects identified by Horrocks Consulting, including the Heritage Hills well and pressure-reduction and storage work.
Mark Anderson of Zions Public Finance guided council through financing options for a proposed $9 million pressurized-irrigation bond, explaining typical utility-bond coverage requirements and repayment structures. He said one modeled structure would produce a roughly "$640,000" annual payment on a $9 million, 25-year bond under the scenario presented, and cautioned that the city would need to ensure rate adjustments to meet the 1.25x coverage requirement for utility revenue bonds.
Council questions focused on the scope of the bond (two projects at ~$9 million vs. the five top-priority items estimated at $14 million), who benefits, and household-level impacts — staff estimated roughly $217.69 per household per year under one scenario if coverage depended on 2,940 billed units. Council members and residents discussed alternatives including phasing, using impact fees, pursuing grant funding for the low-zone tank expansion and combining cash with debt.
Next steps: staff will refine household-cost modeling, continue impact-fee analysis and return with more precise scope, timing and rate impacts before any formal borrowing decision.
