News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Baxter Board of Aldermen tabled an ordinance Monday night that would increase the city’s tap fees on new developments.
The board wants to gather more information before making a final decision.
City Attorney Shawn Fry said that this has been discussed for some time, but the amount of development around the community makes the change necessary. Currently, the fees set more than a decade ago are $600 for developers and $1,200 for private building.
“We’ve talked about the growth that you’re going to have in the future and I know we’ve been looking at financials,” Fry said. “And you’re going to have a lot of expenses coming up. You’re having lots of growing pains, and growing pains are just expenses. And you’re going to have to pay for some of these projects.”
Fry said without increasing the fees, the city is losing money on its developments.
Fry suggested increasing fees to match surrounding areas. Alderman Willie Allison said he agreed with Fry that those fees should be uniform across the board for fairness.
Public Works Director John Ramsey proposed increasing the fees to $900 for developers and $1,800 for private builders.
Alderman Dustin Stanton said that he wants to make sure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to an increase in fees.
“We all know the cost of materials has gone up in this day and time,” Stanton said. “We just want to be fair whether it be a developer or a citizen building a house in our town and paying water and sewer, we just want to be fair across the board.”
Fry said that he wants to make sure this ordinance is voted on and enacted by the summer. The Board of Aldermen agreed to gather more numbers from surrounding utility districts and hold a work session to discuss more in-depth before the next meeting.
