TF to raise rates for new water, sewer connections

Thompson Falls City Council met last week to discuss raising the sewer and water hookup rates. It was then sent to the Sewer and Water Committee for discussion. These fees would apply only to new connections to the system, according to Thompson Falls Mayor Mark Sheets.

Currently, hooking up costs $350. The council was concerned about this because there are several lots where one house traditionally stood that may now have numerous “tiny homes.” Each of these small residences alone would place the same use and stress onto the system that the traditional home would have. This could multiply the strain from the one lot.

According to Sheets, another purpose of increasing the fee is to help mitigate the accumulated debt from the recent sewer and water system upgrades. Sheets said newcomers will not have paid anything into the upgraded system but will reap all the benefits. It is also a problem because, according to state law, sewer and water must be enterprise funds. This means that they cannot gain funding from taxes. “They need to be self-supporting,” said Sheets. The city cannot finance any part of the sewer or water through its ordinary tax collections. Therefore, the systems must pay for themselves via fees.

The committee will be looking at comparable cities and towns to decide what the new rates should be for Thompson Falls. Sheets said this price could vary from $1,000 to $3,000 to attach a new line. Sheets explained that the neighboring town of Plains already has hookup fees of $2,000 for water and an additional $2,000 for sewer.

Once the committee looks at this issue, they will bring it back to council with proposed new fees. The committee meeting will be Wednesday, July 21 at 5:15 p.m. The next city council meeting, August 9 at 6 p.m. in City Hall, should see the updated recommendations on the calendar. The city council will then vote, and changes could be official by early August.