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Nibley approves $2,500 sewer impact fee for new homes By
Matt Eichner NIBLEY -- The City Council voted 4-1 Thursday night to approve a $2,500 sewer impact fee for homes to hook up to the new sewer. All new homes built in Nibley will have the fee assessed by the city, as well as a $44 monthly fee for sewer services charged to all residents of Nibley. This will not change the cost of building a home because the cost of putting in a septic tank would be about the same, said city manager Larry Ahnder. Ahnder also said the cost of the hook-up could reasonably be up to $4,000. Ahnder compared the fee with that of other towns in the valley. In Wellsville the fee is $321, Hyrum's is $1,300 and North Logan's is $737, Ahnder said. But he also said those sewer systems are older while Nibley is new and currently under construction. Councilman Scott Wells, the lone dissenter, called it a possible "double hit" to be paid by the new homeowner. He said the builder has to build a stub out to the sidewalk from the new house for the connection and then pay the sewer connection fee. Wells feared the stub construction for the sewer to be connected would be passed along to the homeowner. Ahnder said builders did not itemize the construction and then pass it on to the buyer. In February the council approved a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for sewer connection assistance for low-income families who couldn't pay for their house to be connected to the new sewer line. The council debated the need for rezoning parts of Nibley for smaller lots per acre. One-quarter acre lots instead of one-half acre lots have become increasingly prevalent with the new construction west of 800 West, which may run contradictory to the spirit of the town plan, said Councilman James Waite. Waite conceded that there was no provision against the smaller lots, but it may not carry on the "rural feel" of Nibley, which had been described in the town plan. However, the smaller lots may have an advantage in several ways said Larry Ahnder. "Higher densities preserve farm land," Ahnder said. Because of the growth in Utah in population, Ahnder also said the smaller lots will help keep the open spaces in Cache County. Because 50,000 more people live in Utah every year, Nibley will no doubt grow, and smaller lots will keep the growth manageable, Ahnder said. "The people have to go somewhere," he said. Ahnder also said taxes per resident are less when there is more population to spread around the fees. Gene Needham of the Cache Chamber of Commerce briefed the council on the Cache Valley Initiative, of which the council was already aware. Councilman Wells said he currently serves on the telecommunications infrastructure board of the Initiative. Needham said he was at the meeting only to inform and to make sure the council had not made any previous commitments to the Initiative, which it had not, Mayor Lynn Welker said. In other business, the council approved unanimously Patricia Stearns' conditional use permit and business license for making and selling quilts. Amy Platt's conditional use permit and kennel license was also approved unanimously, as was Bobbie Peterson's conditional use permit and kennel license.
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