As a Boxelder Sanitation District customer, it’s of the utmost importance to us that we not only deliver the highest quality service possible, but that we keep you informed of timely issues that could impact your rates.
While District growth and timely completion of capital improvements has allowed the Board of Directors to reduce the capital improvement portion of the current monthly service charge by $5 starting in January, a new issue may negatively impact your rates.
Montava is a proposed community-focused development on land in northeast Fort Collins. This new community falls within Boxelder Sanitation District’s service area and would be supported by the Cooper Slough Interceptor (CSI), which runs through the proposed development, from E. Mulberry Street northward and northwestward to the area east and north of the Fort Collins Country Club.
While the District Board of Directors is supportive of development in this area, this development has the potential to negatively impact current District customers if Montava is served sewer by the City and not the District.
Currently, the outcome still remains undecided. However, Montava developers have been in discussions with the City about whether this community will be served with sewer by the City or the District for more than a year now. However, City service inside another District’s service area is an unprecedented event.
According to the developer, high-cost amenities required by the City are presenting a financial burden and they are unable to pay the District’s fees. Even though Montava developers have already created a Metro District to offset such public infrastructure.
If Montava were to be served sewer by the City, additional costs for District capital projects, such as the treatment plant expansion, would be passed onto existing customers.
As you likely know, the District is undergoing the treatment plant expansion to not only maintain regulatory compliance but also for current and future capacity, in part to serve the growing area of northeast Fort Collins. The District had anticipated that future growth would help offset these capital costs as developments like Montava could potentially further reduce rates for existing customers.
This development’s planned unit development (PUD) is scheduled to go before the Fort Collins City Council on December 17th at 6 p.m., 300 Laporte Avenue. As an official reviewing agency, the Board of Directors has requested City Council postpone the PUD decision until a policy agreement and long-range utility planning can be reached.
Not only does the City serving sewer in another District’s area set a dangerous precedent, but existing customers and Fort Collins residents will have to shoulder the additional burden of rate increases from the current treatment plant expansion.
As a Boxelder Sanitation District customer, you can help by attending and providing comment at the City Council meeting, encouraging them to postpone this decision or mandate that Montava receive sewer service from the District. If you can’t attend the meeting consider emailing the Mayor and Council in advance so your voice can be heard.
Thank you in advance for your support of this important issue.