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Staff cautions that $9 million figure is illustrative; per-connection fees could reach $15,000
Summary
District staff told the committee that the spreadsheet’s $9,000,000 number is illustrative and not a definitive Solvang connection cost; Solvang per-connection figures of $8,000 and $15,000 were cited and staff used the higher number to model a conservative scenario.
A district staff member walked the subcommittee through a comparative cost spreadsheet and cautioned that a referenced $9,000,000 figure should not be read as the definitive cost to connect to the City of Solvang. The staff member said he used conservative assumptions to drive a range of annual and per-connection estimates while awaiting a firm response from Solvang’s rate consultant.
"When you see the $9,000,000 number, don't just assume that's what it cost to get to the city of Solvang," the staff member said, explaining the spreadsheet includes items that would occur regardless of whether wastewater stays in the district or is sent to Solvang. He also told the committee he had two reported per-connection numbers from Solvang’s side — $8,000 and $15,000 — and had used the higher $15,000 figure for modeling. Members asked him to separate Solvang-specific costs from district-only costs in the next deliverable.
The staff presentation included annualized cost examples and load/peaking assumptions that drive plant-sizing choices; committee members pressed for more precise data from Solvang’s rate consultant before the April board discussion. No action was taken; Stantec and staff will provide a revised spreadsheet and clarify which costs are unique to a Solvang connection.
