Carson City softens hit on golf courses

By Dave Frank

Appeal Staff Writer

Golf courses will have to pay to water their greens, but the price will be less than expected.

Carson City wanted to charge a fee for the treated wastewater golf courses and other smaller customers use for watering that would eventually cost Eagle Valley Golf Course, the biggest user, up to $90,000 a year.

The plan, outlined at the regular meeting Thursday, called for fees to be raised over three years starting in July.

Supervisors, however, agreed not to raise rates until April 2009 and promised to negotiate with users before raising them again.

The city has never charged for this water before, but it did approve a charge in 1996. Negotiations have delayed the city's attempt to collect part of the $500,000 a year it spends providing the water.

"It's a commodity," said Supervisor Shelly Aldean, "and we're not even coming close to breaking even."

But representatives from the golf courses told supervisors Thursday the city's plan didn't give them enough time to find out how to pay for the charges.

The fee will annually cost Eagle Valley $29,000, Empire Ranch $28,000 and Silver Oaks $17,000.

The city won't get its money back on this charge, said Dwight Millard, one of the owners of Empire Ranch, but it can't simply handle the wastewater as a commodity.

The city by law has to get rid of the wastewater, he said, and when it had excessive amounts in the early 1980s, that's when it started to give it away.

The wastewater is in greater demand now, Millard said, but the city still needs to get rid of it.

"This is really a mixed bag of worms you have here," he said.

Jim Kepler, general manager of Eagle Valley, said the initial plan wouldn't have given his golf course enough time figure out how to pay the fee without raising prices.

The club, a nonprofit that runs the golf course on city-owned land, tries to keep prices low for seniors and teenagers, he said.

But anything the city doesn't charge the courses it has to pass along to other customers, said Public Works Operations Manager Ken Arnold.

The city will also have to pay the fee to water its parks, though it uses much less wastewater than the golf courses.

Other meetings items:

• Carson City district attorney investigators now have the power to enforce the nuisance ordinance. These investigators will use the authority to target gangs and drug users, District Attorney Neil Rombardo said.

• Supervisors voted to leave the position of an environmental health specialist temporarily unfilled. The city health department normally has three of these specialists. Department Director Vicky Fogelman said two specialists will not be able to keep up with health inspections and mosquito control in the next few months. Supervisors who voted against immediately hiring the specialist said the department would probably be able to fill the position in the upcoming months once next year's budget is ready.

• Water and storm water fees will increase 6 percent starting July 1. This will add a few dollars to the average user's monthly bill but will have a bigger impact on large businesses.

Board of supervisors meeting time changed

The Carson City Board of Supervisors will change their meeting times on a three-month trial basis starting April 1. Their meetings are on the first and third Thursdays of each month. The third Thursday's meeting time will stay at 8:30 a.m., but the first Thursday's meeting will start at 3 p.m. and again at 6 p.m. following a dinner break.

• Contact reporter Dave Frank at dfrank@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.