Pinedale council passes ordinances updating sewer rates, connection fees

by Rhonda Swain

At what could have been the shortest Pinedale Town Council meeting in history on Thursday, March 17, three members of the council passed three ordinances on the third and final reading. Mayor Rose Skinner and Council Member Miriam Carlson were absent from the meeting; Council Member Barbara Boyce acted as mayor pro tem.

The focus of the meeting was passage of ordinances 369, 370 and 371.

Ordinance 369 amends the Pinedale Municipal Code by amending the town's quarterly rates for sewer services.

Fees for water and sewer usage have not seen an increase since the mid-1990s, when residential fees were set at $75.75 per quarter ($59.05 for water and $16.70 for sewer). Business service fees were set at $96.65 quarterly ($75.31 for water and $21.34 for sewer). Commercial fees start at $96.65, and depend upon water service.

Ordinance 369 raises sewer rates from $16.70 per quarter to $33.40; water-usage rates remain the same.

Ordinance 370 establishes updated water and sewer connection fees in the town.

The town's water and sewer connection fees have not been updated since 1982, when they were set at $1,000 for a residence and $1,500 for out-of-town residences where town water and sewer are available. Up until Thursday, it cost a new homeowner $2,000 to hook up to town water and sewer. Businesses were charged depending on the frontage of the building or occupancy.

At Thursday's meeting, the council approved doubling its residential connection fees, to $2,000 for water and $2,000 for sewer. Apartment connections were raised to $1,300 and $2,000 for water and sewer, respectively.

At its Feb. 14 meeting, the council approved updating the rates and set into motion amending ordinances 369 and 370.

At the March 14 meeting, Mark Eatinger of Rio Verde Engineering told the council that when the town received $2.9-million in State Land and Investment Board 50/50 grant monies, the board asked why the town has not increased its rates. Eatinger said it was good that the town already had set updating the fees into motion prior to the SLIB meeting.

The third ordinance, number 371, pertains to impoundment fees charged by the Pinedale town clerk or animal control officer. Updated impound fees for a dog were increased to $25,with a $15-per-day fee after the first day. Notification of a dog's owner of its impoundment will now be $5.

The council approved advertising the mayor's assistant and water sample driver positions with the town. It was also agreed to have Town Attorney Ed Wood request that Kasey Mateosky of KM Construction, the firm building the new town shop and dog shop, attend the next town council meeting on Monday, April 11.