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OCN > 2311 > Monument Sanitation District, Oct. 18 – Board addresses budgets, rates, liens

Monument Sanitation District, Oct. 18 – Board addresses budgets, rates, liens

By Jackie Burhans and James Howald

Financial matters—budgets, rates, and liens—were the focus when the Monument Sanitation District (MSD) board met in October. The board began work on its budget for 2024 and set a date for a public hearing. The board also briefly considered the 2024 budget developed by the Joint Use Committee (JUC) for operation of the Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility (TLWWTF). The board discussed potential changes to rates and fees and scheduled a public hearing to consider them. The board heard a report on delinquent liens and a monthly operational report from District Manager Mark Parker.

MSD 2024 budget presentation

Parker reviewed the MSD budget for 2024 that he presented to the board at the previous meeting. In response to a question from Director Skip Morgan concerning reserve funds, Parker explained the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) requires the district to maintain a certain amount of money in reserve that can’t be used for operating expenses. He pointed out that the 2024 budget increased the money budgeted for property and loss insurance and for workers compensation insurance. He explained that engineering fees increased over the previous budget due to $43,000 in unpaid engineering fees owed to the district. Legal fees also increased because some recording fees and document review fees were included that would be broken out in future budgets.

The board voted to hold a public hearing on the 2024 budget at its next board meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m. Nov. 15 at the district office at 130 Second St. An announcement of the hearing is included in bills for October.

JUC 2024 draft budget

Parker presented a draft of the 2024 budget for the JUC. MSD partners with Woodmoor Water and Sanitation district and the Town of Palmer Lake in the operation of the TLWWTF: All three approve the JUC’s budget.

Parker said sludge removal costs are increasing due to increased fuel costs. Board President Dan Hamilton pointed out the operations costs increased by 30% in the proposed budget.

The board voted unanimously to approve the JUC budget as presented.

Rates and fees remain unchanged

The board discussed online payments, and Parker pointed out that out of 1,757 accounts only 302 pay online with a credit card. The district charges a 2.59% fee for online payments, he said. Hamilton commented that some customers pay by check to avoid the fee. The board discussed a small increase in rates to cover this fee for the customer, but Parker recommended no increase in the 2024 budget. He said staff would continue to study the issue.

Parker said MSD had not raised rates since 2020, when the monthly rate increased from $35 to $40 per month.

The board also discussed tap fees, which are charges paid when a new customer connects to the MSD infrastructure. Parker said the 2023 budget anticipated $500,000 in tap fee revenue but the actual figure came in closer to $1.9 million. He said he expected tap fee revenue to be lower in 2024. He explained some tap fees were being paid by homeowners in Wakonda Hills whose septic tanks were failing, requiring them to connect to the MSD collection system. Parker said he expected to see additional tap fee revenue in 2024 from the Willow Springs development, the Monument Ridge development, and from the Rickenbacker Avenue development.

The board scheduled a second public hearing to address rates and fees for 9 a.m. Nov. 15 at the district office at 130 Second St. An announcement of the hearing is included in bills for October.

Liens on delinquent accounts

Parker said the district had about 11 delinquent accounts and asked the board to approve Resolution 10182023-1, which would place liens on those accounts. One delinquent account amounted to $43,000, he said. The board voted unanimously in favor of the resolution.

Manager’s report

In his manager’s report, Parker said a recent upgrade to the MSD office building’s electrical service had been completed at a much lower cost than anticipated. He said he had signed a contract with a roofing company to repair the office building’s roof.

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Monument Sanitation District meetings are normally held at 9 a.m. on the third Wednesday of the month in the district conference room at 130 Second St., Monument. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Nov. 15, 2023. See https://colorado.gov/msd. For a district service map, see https://colorado.gov/pacific/msd/district-map-0. Information: 719-481-4886.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me. James Howald can be reached at jameshowald@ocn.me.

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