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Jan. 24, 2001 By Gail Binkly Continuing their effort to create a "more user-friendly" district, members of the Cortez Sanitation District board eliminated a fee and loosened some regulations Monday night. They also granted deadline extensions to three customers who had purchased sewer taps but not used them by the allotted deadline. The board voted 4-0, with Norm Hall absent, to quit charging a fee of approximately $200 for installing new sewer taps. The fee had been charged in addition to the $4,000 fee for purchasing a tap. The $200 fee, which actually varied for each individual job, included $95 for amortization on the district’s new "tapping" machine, plus costs for labor and materials. Acting District Manager Jay Conner brought up the topic of the amortization fee, saying he did not think it was right because the $5,000 tapping machine was something the district normally should have. "It was a capital purchase," he said. "It’s just something a sanitation district should own." The board agreed and went further, saying that the city of Cortez doesn’t charge to put in a tap and commenting that the entire fee should be done away with. Chairman Bob Diederich said later that the $200 surcharge had been implemented after the district started requiring that its workers make sewer taps themselves, rather than having private plumbers do them. The change came after plumbers and developers requested it, saying they didn’t want the liability of possibly damaging the district’s lines. The board on Monday also made several changes to district pipeline and manhole regulations. Among them were clarifying the types of materials that can be used as backfill around pipelines, changing the requirement for compaction tests from every 100 linear feet to every 200, and easing requirements for the types of plans and maps brought to the district. "It’s nice to get away from that ‘us against you’ stuff," commented board member Ted Stearman, who is a builder himself. The board noted that a citizens’ committee is working on overhauling the entire set of board rules and regulations. The group also granted six-month extensions to Dr. John Dickson, Robert and Christi Moore, and Don Etnier on the time they have to start construction before losing their sewer taps. The landowners "got trapped in that business of the ‘fire sale’ when it was stated that the south plant didn’t have many taps left and if you wanted one you’d better buy it right now," said Diederich. That occurred in 1999 and caused considerable contention between the sanitation district and local builders. On Jan. 8, 2000, the district adopted rules limiting the number of tap sales from the southern plant, and some people bought taps to be sure they weren’t shut out. Dickson, Etnier and the Moores were among them, Diederich said. In June 2001, the district said there was more capacity available than had been believed and, noting that a new plant is to be built, lifted the sale restrictions. The board said Monday that the six-month extension was the last that would be granted on the three properties. In other business, the board: • Expressed dismay over the fact that past-due accounts have soared since last month, with a total of $26,623 now delinquent versus $10,000 in December. Of the $26,623, approximately $7,000 is owed by commercial properties, Diederich said. He said a letter was being sent to the delinquent property owners urging them to pay up. The district is considering having the city do its billing, putting the sewer bill onto its monthly bills for water and trash pick-up. That would make it easier for customers to remember to pay, the board believes, and would also make it easier to track down persons who might be receiving sewer service free without the district being aware of it. Diederich said his understanding was that if the city and sanitation district’s bills were put together and someone made only a partial payment, each bill — water, trash and sewer — would be reduced proportionately. In other words, if someone owed a total of $60 and paid just $30, each separate bill would be reduced by half. Then all three accounts would be delinquent and the city could cut off the water to the property, eliminating the need for the sanitation district to cut sewer service to the property. • Voted 4-0 to appoint the district’s attorney, Kent Williamson, to be election official for the election coming in May. In the past, Diederich said, a board member has been the designated election official. "This keeps it cleaner," commented board member Fred Blackburn. • Unanimously chose Johnson, Holscher & Co., P.C., of Glenwood Village as the district’s auditor. The company, which also does the city’s auditing, submitted the lower of two bids, Diederich said. The company’s bid to do the job for a three-year period was $3,500 for the first year, $3,650 for the second, and $3,800 for the third, plus travel and other expenses.
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Copyright © 2001 the Cortez
Journal. All rights reserved. |
