| Mendon
puts off vote on drinking water impact fee
By Bryan Hinton
February 11, 2005 | MENDON -- The
City Council delayed a vote on a drinking water system
impact fee in order to clear up an issue dealing with
fee adjustments.
Councilwomen Leslie Larson expressed concern with
part of the proposed city code amendment that stated
the city had discretion to adjust the impact fee in
unusual circumstances. She said she felt fee adjustments
should go before the board of adjustments and not the
city council, because the council would be less likely
to make a fair judgment.
Larson said she is confident the bill will pass, but
she wanted to make sure it was the way it needed to
be before a vote was taken.
"I just want to make sure it applies to everyone equally,"
she said. "It would be quicker to just get clarification
than to pass it and then amend it.
The fee would be $2,302 and would be paid prior to
the issuance of a building permit by the city, according
to proposed amendment. Of that fee, $332 would go to
existing facilities and $1,970 would accommodate future
growth.
The fee would apply to everyone within the Mendon
city limits and all of the surrounding area that is
serviced by the Mendon water system.
Mayor Sydney Larsen said he was pleased with the analysis
that was done in order to draft the amendment.
"It was done by some legitimate and well qualified
group of engineers," he said.
Also at the meeting, John Kirschbaum and Justin Anderson
submitted requests to split lots, but votes on both
were put off until water issues could be resolved. In
both cases, there currently was not enough water on
the new proposed lots to meet city code.
Mayor Larsen said everything else in their proposals
was fine. "Just get the water and it's a done deal,"
he said.
Councilmen Stephen Sorenson expressed his concern
about the city's snow removal priorities, citing how
Mendon had to pay a citizen to clear snow at the fire
station when there was already a city employee assigned
to do it.
"Emergency facilities are the first priority for removing
snow," he said. "The fire station should be cleared
before someone's driveway.
The budgets for the May Day and July 24 celebrations
were also discussed, but no votes were taken.
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