Kalispell Council considers small fee for Evergreen sewer customers

Kalispell City Council on Monday will consider passing along a $3 monthly fee to Evergreen sewer customers.

The change is in response to the Evergreen Water and Sewer District instituting a new meter fee of $3 per account monthly for meter data from each of the sewer customers connected to water service.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the City Hall, 201 First Avenue East.

The city is not responsible for the fee, but the municipality is affected by it and has to pass the fee amount onto Evergreen sewer customers.

Water meter data is the only mechanism used to calculate sewer usage and until March the Evergreen district provided the water metering information as a courtesy to the city for those sewer customers, city staff notes. Under city sewer regulations, customers that are not connected to city water, but to city sewer shall have their water service metered and this is at the expense of the customer.

Since Evergreen instituted the fee, the city is passing the cost onto the customers affected.

ALSO ON the agenda, Council will consider updates to its construction and design standards.

The city is looking to update its standards in response to changes in state and federal requirements, to adopt changes to construction materials and methods, to aid with the operation and maintenance of public infrastructure and “to ensure the standards reflect the best practices necessary to support a sustainable community,” according to the work session agenda.

Council will also consider a resolution regarding funding for the city’s lift station located within the Fairview Boulevard Subdivision. Construction on the lift station is expected to begin this year.

The purpose of the resolution is to approve the reimbursement of any allowable preliminary expenditures previously made by the city on the project to be repaid by the bond when those funds become available. The project is being financed through bonding from the Montana State Revolving Fund.

Following the regular meeting, Council will hold a work session to discuss the solid waste department budget.

For more information, visit the city’s website at https://www.kalispell.com/.

Features Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com.