The regular Board meeting of the Round Mountain Water and Sanitation District (RMWSD), held on November 21, was preceded by a public hearing on the 2025 budget and proposed rate increases.
District Manager Dave Schneider presented both the budget and the rate increases, noting that the 2025 budget is predicated on the rate fee increases, which will be effective as of January 1, 2025. The minimum monthly fee for water for in-district users is set to go up from $31 to $33 per month; for out-of-district users, from $46.50 to $49.50 per month. For wastewater service, in-district users will pay $38.60 per month, up from $36.50; out-of-district users will pay $58, up from $54.60 per month. Bulk water rates will go up from five cents per gallon to six cents per gallon, with tiered usage fees going up by six percent over 2024.
At 2:35 p.m., the public hearing ended with no public comment, and the regular Board meeting began. Schneider gave updates on various projects, including the Grape Creek reservoir and the wastewater treatment plant, saying that he hoped to be getting final edits on plans for each project drawn up and sent off to the state by the end of December.
Action items for the Board included approval of Resolution 2024-13, for a purchase of a property and building for the District’s new shop. A motion to approve the purchase passed unanimously after discussion. A representative from Denali Water Services talked about the de-sludging process for the wastewater lagoons, including the possibilities for locating agricultural land in the county for spreading the treated sludge as fertilizer. “The first part of the [wastewater] pilot study is to de-sludge all three ponds,” said Schneider, estimating that there would be about 1.2 million gallons of sludge to be drained: “The last time the ponds were de-sludged was in 1991, it’s only been done once since the system started – it’s supposed to be every ten years!” Schneider said that the cost estimate for the de-sludging was currently estimated to be about $238,000, but that if Denali was unable to find a local source for the sludge relocation, the costs could go up considerably due to hauling expenses.
Under new business, the motions for the rate increase approval, the 2025 budget approval, and the mill levy approval all passed unanimously. The meeting ended with a discussion of what the District policy would be on providing water and wastewater service to new Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU), pursuant to the Town of Westcliffe passing an ordinance approving ADUs as a use by right. Schneider was charged with helping to draft a policy for discussion at a future meeting.
– Elliot Jackson