City cuts sewer, water fees to spur development

The Carson City Board of Supervisors on Thursday moved to slash sewer and water connection fees in a move to encourage development.

The board voted unanimously to reduce sewer connection fees from the current rate of $5,700 to $500 and water connection fees from $4,543 to $500. Supervisors will vote on the ordinance again in two weeks before it passes.

The higher fees were once needed for revenue as infrastructure was being expanded and Carson City's population was burgeoning, City Manager Larry Werner told the board.

"It got to a point that it became a windfall to continue to charge those connection fees, and we want to try to encourage more development to come in," Werner said.

Public Works Director Andy Burnham said the proposal makes sense.

"We're at 75 percent buildout now and we're replacing infrastructure," Burnham said, adding that most of what the city has left for development is "infill."

Mayor Bob Crowell said he hoped the move would "spur good-quality development because right now, (the fees) are a pretty serious impediment."

Supervisor Robin Williamson agreed.

"I'd like this to send the message (to developers) to do it now, not in five years. We want to be on their fast track," she said.

A first reading of the measure passed unanimously with the caveat that the decision would be reviewed in two years to see how it was working.

In other action, the board:

• Adopted the Carson City Community Wildfire Protection Plan which expands areas of concern from four to 13, to include Ash Canyon/Western Nevada College, C Hill, Carson Colony/Voltaire Canyon, Clear Creek, Edmonds/Prison Hill, lower and upper Kings Canyon, Lakeview, Mexican Dam, North Carson, Pinion Hills, Stewart/South Carson and Timberline. In terms of fuel hazard, Clear Creek was rated at extreme risk.

Adopting the community plan is important, Fire Chief Stacey Giomi told supervisors, because it compels federal agencies to include Carson City's plan in any of their recommendations.

"Carson City has urban wildland pockets which also pose real hazards," Giomi said. "They aren't assessed, but they are still a risk."

Defensible space is something the city hasn't cracked down on yet.

"We haven't been very heavy-handed in our enforcement, but we need to get there," Giomi said.

• Delayed deciding on an amended parking ordinance that would have changed the definitions of a pickup truck and panel van. Staff was directed to make revisions and bring it back to the board in two weeks.

• Approved an agreement with the Nevada Department of Transportation to establish responsibilities for the initial portion of Phase 2B of the Carson City Freeway.

• Approved a change to the NDOT funding agreement for Phase 2 of the freeway. The city will accept ownership and maintenance responsibility for several state streets in trade for improvements to Carson Street, among other things.

• Voted to set as the membership of the city's audit committee four qualified citizens and one member from the board of supervisors.

• Made a clerical correction to the city code regarding medical marijuana use.

• Awarded a contract for construction of Morgan Mill Road River Access Area to Horizon Construction Inc.

• Authorized an agreement to install solar systems on eight city buildings: City Hall, the community center, the parks building on Butti Way, Fire Stations 1 and 2, the Pony Express Pavilion, the swim center and the Juvenile Probation offices.

Burnham told supervisors that the project will be paid through cost savings as well as rebates from NV Energy. Some buildings cannot yet be done because they will be needing new roofs soon, so solar will be installed at that time.

• Passed an ordinance to increase the time for filing subdivision final maps from two years to four years after initial approval and increase the time for filing subsequent phase maps from one year to two years.

• Granted a two-year extension for the final map of a tentative subdivision map known as the Schulz Ranch, to allow the applicant additional time to work through final design and coordination of the project.