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m <br />The City people also stated that they intend to apply to the Met Council for pentiission to expand <br />Ihc sewer service in the community. They further stated they intend to ask the Met Council to <br />expand the MUSA line, which is that boundary in the metropolitan area beyond which the Met <br />Council has decided to restrict infrastructure (sew^er, water, reads) to inhibit "urban spra\vr. <br />The City people state that this kind of request always carries "strings" back into the community <br />in that the Met Council has an agenda for the metropolitan area, including Orono. Granting City <br />requests is one method of obtaining City compliance of the Met Council agenda. For example, <br />the City people intend to request expansion of the MUSA line to incorporate one or two lots, so <br />that sew'cr can be provided to those lots. Sewer is thought to be necessary because the lots will <br />not permit a septic system. The other alternative is a holding tank system tor those lots and <br />would be enormously cheaper than sewer installation and paying for the other "strings ” by the <br />entire population of Orono. <br />In this example, the City people are wil’ing to accept the Met Council "strings" which affect the <br />entire city, in order to provide access to sewer for one or two lots. A ver>* high price to pay, <br />indeed. <br />There are fourteen homes in Foxhill and all are in conformance or have an alternate location lor <br />septic systems on their land. <br />Let's look at the economics of the proposal. <br />1. Septic systems have a life of 25 to 30 years and all of the Foxhill residents have <br />invested in their present systems. At a current price for a septic system of $12,000, with an <br />estimated half life remaining and ten of the hor 'cs in conformance, then $6,000 times ten homes <br />equals a potential lost investment ot $60,000. The City matenal suggests an upgraded septic <br />systems in the four non-conforming homes is estimated by the City people to be $7,500 to <br />$10,000 each, times the four homes; a new investment of $40,000, or less. <br />2. The proposed sewer system would cost each of the fourteen homes approximately <br />515,000, which would be assessed over a fifteen year period, at an annual interest rate of say, 9 <br />percent. The principal and interest cost would be $1,842 annually or $27,626 for the fifteen year <br />period. Each home would need to the connected to the sewer by a plumber at an estimated cost <br />of $4,000. There would be a quarterly sewer charge for each home in an initial amount of <br />$62.00; times four quarters equals 5248.00 each year, assuming no increases, a poor <br />assumption. <br />The total cost for the fourteen Foxhill home owners is $27,626; plus $4,000; plus $248 times <br />fifteen years times the fourteen homes; plus the lust life of the existing systems in an amount of <br />$60,000 totals $554,844... to do a $40,000 job. A sum of our money nearly fifteen times more <br />than the cost of upgrading some of the Foxhill homes. <br />And you wonder why governments are broke and are breaking us. <br />So, what is the real motivation in proposing to spend this kind of "other peoples money".