Questions, comments heard on Papermakers sewer option

The council conducted the hearing after it received petitions from residents in the Papermakers and Meadowview area seeking information about extending sewer and water service to the areas.

City officials have been adamant that extending services to areas outside the limits will only be done through annexation into the city.

An engineering firm hired by the city estimates that extending sewer to Papermakers would cost $1.1 million, and to extend to Meadowview would cost an additional $1.5 million.

The city, because of the costs, has proposed to extend the service first to Papermakers and then in a second phase to Meadowview.

But that action is contingent on the results of a survey sent in a letter to Papermakers residents. The letter said that frontage cost to residents is estimated at $28.21 per foot and a service connection fee of $3,025 would be charged when a property is connected. The city would offer a finance option for property owners.

Councilor Gail Rognerud, who led the hearing as the chair of the city’s Infrastructure and Public Works Committee, said Monday that a majority of surveys returned by the approximate 89 property owners in Papermakers must indicate support for annexation and extension of the sewer for the city to move forward with the project.

City Administrator Rod Otterness said Monday that the results of the returned surveys would be announced following the April 30 deadline.

Should the surveys not indicate support, Rognerud said the plans would be shelved and no more time or money would be spent by the city on the issue.

Councilor Tim “Chopper” McBride, who was serving as acting mayor in Mayor Shawn Mason’s absence, told the group that the city had been asked through the petition for information about extending sewer and spent $20,000 on engineering to provide the estimated costs of such a project.

“We were asked for information, we got the numbers now and we want to see if there is interest,” McBride said. “If there is not, the council is just fine with that.”

Councilors and staff said Monday said that the cost of city taxes would be more than offset by the savings from lower city water rates and the elimination of rural fire protection fees for properties with market values of $50,000 or less. At a value of $75,000, the savings would be realized with water use of more than 4,000 gallons, with savings for higher value property reached at higher volumes of water use.

City Works Director Gary Skallman noted that should the residents favor the plan, the city would provide about $348,000 in work toward the project.

Some people asked questions about why the city would not separate annexation from the sewer extension and wondered if other options existed.

Councilor Cynthia Jaksa explained that the city, through the taxpayers within its limits, provides many services, including recreation, library use, fire protection and ambulance service, police, and cultural services.

“There are many different services the city provides that make this a more pleasant and civilized place to live and the city taxpayers pay for,” she said about the need to annex properties in order to provide services, including sewer.

Some property owners said they lived outside the city in order to have livestock or other land uses that may not be allowed in the city.

Prior to moving forward, Skallman said, discussions about zoning in the Papermakers area would be held. He said in most cases, existing land uses would be continued, possibly with some limits set on the number of animals, such as livestock, allowed.

He also said a public hearing on the proposal would be conducted before the city would move forward.

McBride said attempting to creating a sewer district would be an avenue that would not involve annexation. But, he said, in his opinion it would be a costlier option.

Councilors indicated that a $72,000 water escrow fund that some of the property owners had paid into could be used to offset the costs of the property owners. However, they said that would need council approval.

Property owner Sandy Tomczak has been meeting with a group of residents and Koochiching County Commissioner Rob Ecklund the first Thursday of each month at the courthouse boardroom on the issue. Tomczak said a meeting of the group should be held prior to the April 30 survey deadline to further explore the issue.

Property owner Cory Norgart received applause when he said there must be options to meeting the sewer needs in the area other than annexation and establishing a sewer district.

One property owner asked whether grants or other assistance might be available to pursue other options, but McBride said free money for such projects is not available.

Norgart and several other property owners asked questions about fees associated with extending the sewer line to the properties.

Several residents said they believed the cost of the project to be too high. Tom Ward said he is retired and lives on a fixed income, while Bill Westover said it appeared his property taxes would double by becoming a part of the city.

Some people questioned how the surveys would be counted, with Richard Thompson saying that allowing just one “vote” by the survey response for each property owner, regardless of the amount of property they own, wasn’t fair.

In other business Monday, the council heard through a letter from Mason that she would not seek a third term on the council in the November election.

The letter said that Mason had been asked by citizens about her future plans and believed it was important to provide information to give citizens interested in serving on the council time to contemplate running for office.

“It has been a distinct privilege and honor to work with you and our city team while serving our taxpayers,” Mason said in the letter. “Together, we have accomplished much that our citizens can be proud of. However, there is still time to keep ‘my sleeves rolled up’ and continue working with you to implement details on our important strategic plans. I look forward to that in the coming months.”

Mason’s term ends in January with the seating of a new mayor elected this November.