Water and Sewer considers charging 'utility service fee'

Saratoga/Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (water and sewer board) member Craig Kopasz “let the cat out of the bag” about tactics that could spur development in town as well as well as provide necessary revenue to self-fund projects.

“The thought was to charge some kind of a utility service fee,” Kopasz said, which he would want to come out either as a payment to the water and sewer board or taxes.

Kopasz said that the water and sewer board needs to charge on vacant properties for utility services, ideally through property taxes. According to Kopasz, the water and sewer lines that run through the properties still need to be maintained and right now, the board is losing money taking care of them without fees from the landowners.

According to Kopasz, this would also encourage development if it was not so inexpensive for landowners to hold on to properties, probably waiting for their value to increase. Kopasz said that there are about 230 vacant lots in town, but that number might be small since those owning the lots often own many.

“My thought is one, how can we increase revenue for the water and sewer board to basically go and self-fund these projects around Saratoga,” Kopasz said. A second reason for the fee, according to Kopasz, was partially inspired by the town master planners asking questions about how we can increase development. Kopasz says this is a “nudge in that direction.”

“I want this town to grow and develop. I don’t want it to expand necessarily but I want it to infill, because there’s a ton of vacant land,” Kopasz said.

According to Kopasz, he was alerted to the issue when he was trying to build a house six or seven months ago. Because of the low cost of property taxes on these vacant lands (about $200 for a half acre lot, Kopasz said) he had trouble finding a lot. “Everybody I talked to to try to buy a lot, they’re sitting on that lot, waiting for the market to turn around,” Kopasz said. “You can’t build.”

Kopasz also mentioned that a utility service fee on vacant lots could potentially reduce tap fees for residents. The water and sewer board further discussed tap fees, confirming that they will write a new ordinance. According to board member Richard Raymer, the ordinance change requires three readings in the Saratoga Town Council meetings.

The sewer tap fees will change from $1,000 to $1,600 and the water tap and pit will change from $2,000 to $3,000. This does not include street repair, Raymer said. The wording in the ordinance, by Raymer’s insistence, must include language for inflation. According to water and sewer board chairman, Don Price, all of the necessary numbers have been researched and are ready to draft into an ordinance, which Kopasz will write.

Waldner is concerned that in order to keep prices low for homeowners building in the area, there should be language in the ordinance that allows for independent contractors to do the work with inspection from the town.