Town of Daniel
PUBLIC HEARING
August 3, 2009
Wasatch County Services building
Room 132
55 South 500 East
Heber City, Utah
5:30 PM
Quorum present: Mayor Michael Duggin, Council members Heather Bateman, Eric Bunker, and Gary Walton. Council member Jon Blotter arrived at 5:35 PM. Recorder Merry Duggin was present to record the minutes.
Members of the public in attendance: Joyce Anderson, Darwin and Ruth McGuire
Ralph and Ruthie Lugton, Stan Walton, Clay Carlile, Rex Cummings, Ryan Taylor, Kim Norris, Juanita Webb, Chris Anderson, Chip Turner, Blaine Smith, Reggie Kohler, Jeremy and Lynett Kohler, Shelly Bunker, Michael Grange from the Division of Drinking Water.
This properly noticed PUBLIC HEARING was called to order by Mayor Michael Duggin at 5:33 PM.
Council member Bunker moved to open the public hearing regarding the issuance and sale of not more than $3,180,000 aggregate principal amount of taxable water revenue bonds, series 2009. The motion was seconded by Council member Bateman, and the motion passed with a unanimous vote. Mayor Duggin welcomed and thanked those present for taking the time to come to the public hearing, and he reminded them that the Council was not taking any action on this issue on this particular night. He opened the floor for comments.
Mr. Rex Cummings questioned the Council on how the water laws had changed over the last decades. He believed that the company’s water had been “filed on” and wondered why the users were being asked to cut their usage per month. He suggested the meters could be read once a year which would allow the unused gallons per month to roll over into a yearly usage rather than a monthly usage. Mayor Duggin responded that the water company is trying to convert to a tiered rate structure that would keep a minimal user’s rate as low as possible and also charge those who use more water a higher amount. This would help promote conservation. Council member Walton stated that reading meters monthly especially in the summer provided a more timely method of detecting leakage.
Mr. Blaine Smith commented that if there is extra water, he would rather see it used here in Wasatch County than to allow the water to run “down the ditch” to Utah County. He was unaware of individual usage, but he would like the rate structure to be fair to everyone. He admitted that some users would abuse the system if the meters are not read monthly. Later in the meeting he complimented those persons who had been taking care of the system over the years.
Mr. Stan Walton agreed with Mr. Smith that if we have excess water, we should use it in our valley. He admitted that a water user should not abuse the system, but he felt that 15,000 gallons a month didn’t seem like a lot of water. He was not opposed to the proposed raise in user’s fees, but he didn’t want “Daniel water to run down to Utah Valley”.
Mr. Darwin McGuire commented that there must be some over usage fees to help cover the operating costs of the system, and he felt that those fees could not be determined unless you regularly read the meters.
Mr. Chip Turner asked the Council if anyone would be “forced to hook up”. Mayor Duggin responded that he did not want to force anyone to connect to the municipal water system.
Mr. Reggie Kohler wondered how the water board proposal of cutting back from 30,000 gallons to 15,000 gallons per month per user was determined. Council member Blotter responded that the board had looked at past usage records, and approximately 70% of the system users were using less that 15,000 gallons per month. Mr. Kohler was informed that his average usage was 8,680 gallons per month.
Mrs. Ruth McGuire was worried about families needing more than 15,000 gallons per month and favored a 20,000 gallon base rate. Council member Walton noted that we (the Daniel water users) have had a good situation in the past, but the State would like us to begin to conserve. He suggested that we might be able to go to 20,000 gallons a month and cut back more in the future, but he believed that many users are probably overwatering and a conservation plan would be a good idea.
Mr. Clay Carlile noted that some people use their water for lawn and garden irrigation, and they will go over the 15,000 gallons in the summer months especially if the Daniel irrigation system “goes down”. Mayor Duggin stated that we will have to set the user rates to cover the company expenses, and we probably will have to reevaluate the rate structure and make some adjustments as we see how this new rate structure works. For now we would like the average water user’s bill to be approximately $37.50 per month as recommended by the Division of Drinking Water.
Mr. Kim Norris felt that in the case of an irrigation system breakdown, using Daniel Municipal Water for irrigation would be a reasonable cost for that month even if the user had to pay overage fees.
When Mr. Michael Grange was asked to comment, he told those present that the Town of Daniel is getting a great deal with this stimulus package. He noted that in the past he had never seen a grant of 60% and doubted that he would ever see it again.
Mrs. Joyce Anderson asked when the new rates would go into effect. Mayor Duggin responded that the Council would have to pass an ordinance, but he hoped the Council would adopt this ordinance as soon as possible.
There being no further comments, Mayor Duggin accepted a motion from Council member Walton to close the public hearing. The motion, seconded by Council member Blotter, passed with a unanimous vote from the Council. Mayor Duggin closed the public hearing at 6:00 PM
(Other business not pertinent to the foregoing appears in the full minutes of the meeting.)
Upon the conclusion of all business on the Agenda, the meeting was adjourned at 6:30 PM.
One written comment was received by the Town Recorder on July 27, 2009 from Ralph and Ruthie Lugton. A copy of their letter is attached to these minutes.
(SEAL) By: ____________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
By: ______________________
Recorder