The Saratoga/Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (water and sewer) continued to discuss the draft ordinance for tap fees at their Nov. 12 meeting. The ordinance, which will raise the rates for water tap installation, indicates price base rates for materials and labor, however the wording for prices on street repair is under deliberation.
Board members discussed the motives behind the new tap fee ordinance for clarity, and no action was taken on the draft past sending it to an attorney. Where the ordinance stands now, the next step is for the attorney to look it over and discuss it, council representative Richard Raymer said. Board member Glee Johnson brought up prices as well, citing information from a local contractor that claimed information in the ordinance was not properly outlined.
“A contractor cannot tap the main. That has to be done by a town employee,” Richard said. The town has, up until this point, managed all labor surrounding taps and the new ordinance will basically state that it will cost $1,000 less in payments to the town if the homeowner wants to hire a contractor for work other than tapping the main, such as streets work. These numbers were calculated based off the town’s loss of money while previously installing taps. “We’ve not just dropped a vault off for somebody to install,” Richard said.
Richard said that the language in the ordinance for street repair prices should reflect current market prices based on fluctuation. “We obviously want to put that back to like-kind condition. We don’t want somebody to come back in having to skimp on the asphalt to try to make that dollar amount,” Richard said.
Contractor Randy Raymer, present in the audience, was part of the team that wrote these ordinances in the late 80s, noting that the street repair guidelines and ordinances were written back when many roads in Saratoga were not paved yet.
While this ordinance is still at the draft level, chairperson Don Price insisted that discussion about utility service fees on vacant land be tabled. The discussion may be resumed once the current ordinance is completed.
During his monthly report, director of public works Jon Winter said that yet another variable frequency drive had been blown at the water well and the situation is currently being evaluated.
The next water and sewer meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Saratoga Town Hall.
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