The Sweden Town Board will host a public information meeting for property owners in the proposed Lake/Redman/Countryview Water District on Wednesday, November 6, at 6 p.m. at the Sweden Town Hall. Town Engineer Jim Oberst will present the district formation plan and answer questions.
Following the presentation, property owners will be able to sign a petition to create the district. The town must collect signatures from 51 percent of the resident property owners and 51 percent of the assessed valuation in the district. There are 139 parcels in the district with a total assessed valuation of $16,401,400. Property owners interested in signing the petition that evening should bring photo identification as the petition signatures must be notarized.
The estimated cost of the water district is $4,327,000. The town has received a grant commitment of $2,327,000 from Rural Development, along with a low interest loan of $2,000,000 at 2.125 percent interest for 38 years.
Eighteen parcels have agricultural exemptions precluding them from carrying part of the debt service. The remaining 121 parcels will carry a debt service charge (levied on the January town and county tax bill each year) of approximately $638. The estimated annual cost to a typical homeowner for the purchase of public water (based on 55,000 gallons for the year) is $260. The actual water consumption will be billed quarterly through Monroe County Water Authority. The total estimated annual charge to a typical charge for both water district debt and water consumption is $898.
This annual estimated cost of $898 is right at the State Comptroller’s threshold of affordability for 2019. If the district is formed in 2019, the approval of the State Comptroller is not necessary. However, if the district formation does not occur until 2020 (which is likely depending upon how quickly the town secures enough petition signatures), the new threshold for affordability could be lower than $898 or higher. If the threshold does drop below $898, the town would have to seek State Comptroller approval for formation.
Property owners not able to attend the November 6 meeting will have other opportunities to sign the district petition. For more information regarding the project, call Supervisor Kevin Johnson’s office at 637-7588 or email supervisor@townofsweden.org.
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