02-28-2000 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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• i, ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES FOR FEBRUARY 28, 2000 • (Fox Ridge Sanitary Sewer Project, Continued) units available to handle the expanded project area. Gappa stated the total project cost will be divided by the total number of units involved in this project. Dave Phelps, 1950 Fox Ridge Road, expressed a concern that the residents who agree to this project at this time will be incurring the costs for any other individuals who may decide to hook up later. Mayor Jabbour indicated the City of Orono has considered that possibility in the past and has developed a policy that requires the affected property owners to be 100 percent assessed for the project. Jabbour stated the City reviews the area requesting the sewer or water hookup to determine whether any additional properties should also be included in the project area. City Staff has found two to five additional properties which could utilize this sewer line. Jabbour indicated the City is not able to bank the costs of installing the sewer line until the remaining properties, who presently have conforming systems, elect to hook up to City sewer, which could be many years down the road. Moorse indicated that many of these properties who are not contemplating hookup presently have conforming systems, with an alternative septic site available in the event their present system becomes non - conforming. Moorse stated some of these properties may not need to hook up to City sewer • for ten to fifteen years, if ever. Mayor Jabbour stated the City Council and City Staff has spent a significant amount of time negotiating to acquire additional MUSA units. Jabbour indicated the City has adopted a policy that the MUSA units should be made available to those properties who have non - compliant or failing systems. The City has decided that they will allow the residents to include the cost of the grinder pump in with the assessment against their property. Ray Hack, 1995 Fox Ridge Road, inquired what amount of time the property owners with the non - conforming systems have to hook up to City sewer. Hack stated he does not want to assume the costs for those properties who elect to hook up to this sewer line within the new two to three years. Mayor Jabbour stated the City requires non - conforming systems to be hooked up within seven years if they are located within 300 feet of the shoreline and ten years if not within the shoreland zone. Moorse stated City Staff has attempted to inform the residents in this area who have non - conforming systems that it would be to their benefit to hook up to City sewer now rather than later, noting that they are allowed to pay for their new system over a number of years rather than upfront. Mayor Jabbour noted the City has MUSA units available now, which may not be the case later on. Tom Barrett, City Attorney, stated the City can only assess a property owner the amount by which Page 2