Monday, 12 April 2010 01:51

AWA Looks At Will-Serve Policy Changes

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slide5-awa_looks_at_will-serve_policy_changes.pngAmador County – The Amador Water Agency last week looked at proposed amendments to its will-serve policy, and directed staff to work on potentially adding 4 suggestions to existing policy. Staff was directed to have the suggestions ready for board consideration by the first meeting in May. Board President Bill Condrashoff brought a list of 7 proposals, and had staff photocopy that list for the board and audience. Condrashoff said one proposals was already being done by the agency, in charging $1,000 per Equivalent Dwelling Unit for conditional will-serve extensions. Staff was directed work on incorporating that and 3 other suggestions into existing board policy, to be considered in May. That included leaving “no time limit” on will-serves; changing minimum payments toward participation fees to be fully paid in 3 years; and that “100 percent payment locks in participation fees at the time of payment.” AWA attorney Steve Kronick said the agency adopted its conditional will-serve policy in 1988 or 1989, and at the time took a lot of input from stakeholders regarding the length of will-serves. At the time, it was felt that 2 years was an adequate time. He said it “was somewhat tied to the length of time it took to get a final map.” Kronick said the length of time for getting final maps has changed, and is now longer. He said “this is a significant issue to address,” and to make the decision, the board really should get the input of stakeholders. He said city and county officials and developers would all want to comment, and it would be “good to get their take on it now before we make decisions.” The board did not recommend study of 3 items on the list, including participation fee forfeits, participation refunds, and adding a cost for a “standby.” Kronick said adding standby costs would be a Proposition 218 issue, and developers could vote no. He said they “can try to get the developer to approve the standby fee in advance, but I don’t know whether or not it is legal.” Condrashoff asked about changing conditional will-serve requirements that are still in place. Director Terence Moore said “changing conditions of a will-serve seems to go against state law.” Moore said he preferred allowing conditional will-serve to be in effect as long as a tentative map was in place. Moore voted against a 4-1 approval to have staff work on incorporating the 4 suggestions into staff policy, to be considered at the May 13th meeting. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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