Priest River mulls water, sewer fee

PRIEST RIVER — In the final meeting of 2018 for Priest River City Council, a request to waive or discount a $7,500 water and sewer connection fee for 7Brews and May’s Catering dominated the conversation.

“That is $3,750 a piece — a pretty big hit for two little establishments that don’t use much of the service,” said property owner Chris Yount, of Priest River.

Yount said the lot had previously housed a residence and a recreational vehicle in the 1980s, and the original thought was to re-establish or reuse the sewer and water connection from the old residence. However, because the old line was plugged up with gravel, he said, they ultimately decided to run off of the private line that services the adjacent duplexes owned by Yount. Because there was an existing private line, and because there was no expenditure by the city for material or labor, Yount asked city officials to consider waiving or discounting the connection fee.

“My position is that we have simply extended for a small use enterprise,” Yount said, adding that both businesses use minimal water and sewer.

As she moves her trailer on occasion, May Callos of May’s Catering hooks a garden hose to an existing frost free hydrant on the property to fill up her tank, Yount said, as well as a line similar to an RV dump to drain gray water. While Callos uses a portable outhouse for bathroom use, Averylynn Summers’ business, 7Brews, is piped into the private water and sewer line, Yount said.

Both businesses pay a monthly fee to the city for water and sewer, which Yount said they have no qualms with.

Mayor Jim Martin said that while there was new utility work done on private property, it tied into the city system. If the council decides to waive or discount the fee, Martin said the ordinance would have to be changed, to make it a standard across all commercial lots.

“That’s the decision that council has, is what does that mean not just for this piece of property and this coffee stand and the Thai food trailer … but also if we look at a three-and-a-half-acre commercial property and they put in six commercial buildings that are high water users, those would not pay either,” Martin said.

No decision was made during the Dec. 17 meeting, as council members agreed to consider the ordinance and the fee waiver or reduction request.

“First of all, we have to figure out if we can waive it, and then we’ve got to figure out if we should and then we need to figure out what the effect is going to be if we do … We have to really consider the long-term effect,” said Councilman Greg Edwards.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.