Polson residents voice outrage over water, sewer rate hikes
Berl Tiskus
A crowd of concerned citizens fills the Polson Fire Department’s garage for a public hearing on Polson water and sewer rates. Speakers also lined up at the podium.
Berl Tiskus
A crowd of concerned citizens fills the Polson Fire Department’s garage for a public hearing on Polson water and sewer rates. Speakers also lined up at the podium.
Berl Tiskus
Polson City Manager Mark Shrives
Berl Tiskus
A crowd of concerned citizens fills the Polson Fire Department’s garage for a public hearing on Polson water and sewer rates. Speakers also lined up at the podium.
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
POLSON — All the bays of the Polson fire station were opened, the trucks moved out and chairs moved in to seat the approximately 120 Polson residents, business owners and landlords who attended the July 7 public hearing.
Polson residents were upset after having received letters from the City of Polson apprising them of the proposed rate increases for water and wastewater to fund the new wastewater treatment facility.
The letter the city sent to residents was dated June 18, postmarked June 26, and arrived on June 27, during the busiest part of the summer.
The rate changes would increase water rates by 8.4 percent. For the proposed wastewater system, the sewer bill for the average residential customer would go up by $59.20 per month, resulting in a $93.51 monthly bill, an increase of 253 percent.
The increase will actually be more since Polson residents now are allowed 5,000 gallons on the basic fee. The new regulations would ratchet that number down to 2,000 gallons.
In a phone interview after the meeting, Polson City Manager Mark Shrives said it almost seemed the biggest issue was dropping the gallons from 5,000 to 2,000. He added that according to his figures $4.80 would pay for that additional 3,000 gallons.
Before the public comment period, Kevin Johnson of DOWL/HKM presented information on the proposed wastewater facility. He noted that it has been in the works since 1999, and then talked about each step of the process. The Riverside lift station was installed in 2004, and the city knew by 2008 there was a problem. In a regular city commission meeting in March the city agreed to move forward with a request for proposals for the project, and a March 17 meeting, which presented the basis of the problem and the options. After an April 4 public meeting, April 14 was the “drop dead date” which was as late as it could be pushed before grant applications were due.
The basic issues are that the current system is no longer adequate, and the new Environmental Protection Agency permit cycle is coming up with new EPA standards, one of which will require a wastewater treatment center to provide disinfection by 2017.
In a later phone interview, Shrives said EPA requirements were driving the push for the wastewater facility.
In the past the city was not in compliance with the EPA and was fined, but it has been in compliance recently, Shrives said.
Polson resident Murat Kalinyaprak said the public now is investing in this plant and asked Johnson what’s the return on the investment.
Johnson replied that if the plant was not put in, the city would reach a place where nobody would be able to connect to water and sewer.
“The return on your investment is the community,” Johnson said.
Shrives told the public he had met with Senators Jon Tester and John Walsh about the issue. The city has also hired a grant writer with this project and is working with the legislature.
In answer to Bob Gary’s question, Shrives said alternative plans were looked at, but the city commission made the decision.
Marvin Carlyle asked for clarification that the sewer lagoons would be gone.
Johnson answered that the lagoon would go away. There might be a small open pond, he said, but the treatment center itself will be mechanical with metal tanks.
During public comment time, about 25 people spoke.
Carlisa London, KOA Motorcoach and RV Park, was first up. While she appreciated the problem, London urged the commissioners to slow down and look at alternatives.
The water bill for the KOA would go from $212 to $800.
“We estimate it will cost our business $16,000,” she said.
London suggested the city commission look for other ways to raise funds, such a resort tax.
London asked people in Polson who agreed with her to stand up, and most of the crowd stood.
Woodbine resident Peter Daniels said he didn’t want to subsidize the high volume users.
“I have two toilets, Walmart has 23. They should pay 23 times more,” Daniels stated.
With two pages of resident signatures objecting to the proposed rates in her hand, resident Libby Barrett said, “These rates are outrageous.”
She also said she disapproved of snowbird rates, where snowbirds shut off their water and sewer but are required to pay a monthly fee.
Former Polson Mayor Pat DeVries said the water rate right now is lower than what it was in Helena when they moved from there 30 years ago.
Her husband paid $70 per month living in Shelby the last six years.
“We’ve been blessed to have these low rates,” DeVries said, adding that rates have to meet a certain amount for the city to be eligible for grants.
She was also concerned that the city make a distinction between a home that is used only during the summer, “ snowbird rate,” as opposed to a house that is vacant, and felt that distinction should be well understood.
Another issue for Polson resident Steve Shumate was that the city knew about the problem for the last 20 or 30 years, yet did not address it until now.y
Kalinyaprak brought up the point that almost 40 percent of Polson’s population is below the national poverty level.
Greg Hertz, business owner and HD 11 (R) representative, said there is no doubt this rate increase is going to be too hard for the majority of Polson’s citizens.
Citing the EPA trying to say farm dust was a hazard and irrigation ditches are navigable water ways, Hertz said cities need to stand up and push back on EPA since it’s very difficult to meet their standards.
Polson landlord and business owner Dick Schulz has one of his seven commercial rentals rented, and the water is shut off in the non-rented units so he doesn’t have to pay water bills.
Add those bills to taxes, and Schulz said, “They crucified me paying property taxes,” so he thinks taxes should be lowered to encourage new businesses to come into town.
In the end, the commission voted unanimously to table both the ordinance to amend the city of Polson’s assessment of water charges and the resolution to change rates for users of the city of Polson municipal water and sewer systems.
Tabling the ordinance and resolution gives the commission time to look over new information.
Shrives thought the council made a good decision by tabling the ordinance and resolution; he thought the commission would deal with the issue at the July 21 meeting.
Shrives and Cindy Dooley, City of Polson financial officer, presented additional ways to deal with the rate increase, such as half now and half in six months; half now, half in one year; and one-third now, one-third in one year and one-third in final year of increase.
Mayor Heather Knutson assured the crowd that the Polson City Commission has looked at the issue from every angle.
“The commissioners in front of you represent our community — young families, retirees on a fixed income, landowners, business owners. We share and feel your concerns,” Knutson said. “We are, in effect, all in this together.”
