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OCN > 2312 > Monument Sanitation District, Nov. 15 – Board approves budget, leaves rates unchanged

Monument Sanitation District, Nov. 15 – Board approves budget, leaves rates unchanged

By Jackie Burhans and James Howald

At its November meeting, the Monument Sanitation District (MSD) board held a public hearing on its 2024 budget and voted on two related resolutions.

Budget approved; funds appropriated

District Manager Mark Parker opened a public hearing in consideration of the 2024 budget and told the board that he had made only minor changes since the last board meeting. The amount budgeted for contingencies had been increased, he said. He made a conservative estimate of the revenue the district would receive from sewer tap fees, pointing out that phase two of the Willow Springs development would require 32 new taps. Parker explained the tap fees could only be used to fund infrastructure maintenance and improvement. User fees fund administrative and operational costs, he said. The 2024 budget anticipates $945,000 in user fees, an increase of $80,000 over the amount budgeted in 2023.

Parker said he anticipated two more years of substantial revenue from tap fees, as the Monument Ridge North development along Beacon Lite Road and the RAO Investment’s development on Rickenbacker Avenue proceed.

Parker closed the hearing on the 2024 budget and the board voted unanimously in favor of Resolution 11152023-2, which adopts the budget and appropriates $2.27 million from the General Fund to operate the district.

Rates remain unchanged

The board voted unanimously in favor of Resolution 11152023-1, which adopts wastewater service and tap fees for 2024. The monthly residential use fee remains unchanged at $40 per month. Parker said rates and fees have not been increased since 2020.

The complete schedule of fees can be found on the MSD web page here: https://monumentsd.colorado.gov/schedule-of-fees.

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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 Dec. 20. 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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