The Durango City Council seemed to take La Plata County residents to task Tuesday night for protesting the amount they pay for sewer services.
The council unanimously approved reducing the flat rate for city sewer-only customers who live in the county from 5,000 gallons of water a month to 3,000 gallons, but one councilor said residents were “privileged” to pay what they do.
The sewer fee went to a flat rate for 5,000 gallons of water use a month in January after a dispute between the city and Animas Water Co. The city sets sewer rates based on how much water each household uses during a typical winter month, when water generally is used indoors and not for landscaping. The rate change affects about 127 residents who live along County Road 203 and Spring Creek Drive.
Councilor Dean Brookie said he had great empathy, but he also said it was “fictitious” for county residents to believe they’re paying more than their city counterparts.
“It’s not true,” Brookie said. “I’ve never paid as low as you folks are paying.”
Utility bills for the sewer-only customers went to $62.27 in January, a 154 percent increase. The rate reduction will drop their bills down to about $42.75. City officials assured residents they would receive refunds for the last few months when they were billed at 5,000 gallons.
Animas Water Co. President John Ott said the situation was no one’s fault, but a staff report from Durango Utilities Director Steve Salka said a city contractor accidentally installed city transmission devices on meters along County Road 203 that belong to Animas Water in 2012. The city decided to keep them there, but the company removed them in late 2013. Salka said that prevented the city from getting accurate water-use data.
City Manager Ron LeBlanc said the city allowed the residents to tie into the city’s sewer line, which was a cheaper option for them. The residents most likely connected to the city system in 1966 or 1968.
City officials also said it takes two days to read the more than 100 meters on the county road but only four hours to read the approximate 6,500 meters in the city limits. It costs more to maintain the line in the county and read the meters, so out-of-city residents pay more. City residents pay a flat rate based on 2,000 gallons of water a month and have had a more than 100 percent recent increase in rates.
LeBlanc also said these county residents don’t pay a plant investment fee, as do city residents.
Newly installed Mayor Sweetie Marbury also said she felt empathy for the affected residents.
“I recognize that whatever happened 40 years ago, the City Council was very generous, and times have changed.”
Julianne Mortello, who lives on County Road 203, said she built her house in 2010 and paid an $8,000 fee. She said she uses about 1,100 gallons a month, and was upset she will be billed for more. She said many of her neighbors, including a few who spoke at the meeting, are on fixed incomes.
“I hear their argument, and I’m supposed to walk away feeling ‘privileged’ I got to pay the bill I got to pay for the three years I’ve been in the house,” she said. “I didn’t appreciate the snide comments about not understanding that I’m privileged enough to have that rate. That’s not OK.”
In other business, the council approved having public hearings May 6 to get feedback on draft retail marijuana regulations and changing current medical pot rules. Some proposed changes include increasing the distance for dispensaries from schools, limiting locations downtown in the Central Business District and prohibiting facilities in mixed-use residential buildings.
smueler@durangoherald.com
