Bend panel slashes proposed sewer hookup fee

A Bend City Council subcommittee met on Monday to finalize a proposal on how to handle sewer connection fees for hundreds of homeowners in the southeast part of the city.

Some residents desperately need to hook up to a new sewer, while others say their septic system is working fine and they don’t see a need to make the costly move. That’s why members of the subcommittee, which includes city councilors, told NewsChannel 21 this could be the toughest decision they’ve ever had to make.

The word constantly used in Monday’s meeting was “fairness.” Those involved said they understand that some people might have had to pay up to $100,000 to hook up to the new sewer — a bill that would force many from their homes.

To avoid that, they will be proposing a new connection fee that would be a maximum of $10,000. That’s a reduction from the previous proposed hookup fee of up to $25,000.

But that also means other city residents will shoulder a bigger share of the cost through their monthly sewer bills.

“We’ve been working on this for a year,” Councilor Barb Campbell said. “We think we’ve come up with a plan that can help those citizens whose septic systems are failing them right now, help our citizens who don’t have enough income to bear that kind of cost. We think this is the plan that’s going to do well for people.”

The subcommittee has also decided to offer the 2,800 homeowners affected a 50 percent discount on that $10,000 fee — but only if they connect within the first two years it’s available.

“Without our help, they were stuck having to hook up immediately,” Campbell said. “They were stuck with no help on any of those costs, and those costs were going to hit people so unfairly. Again, it’s so much about just being fair.”

As of now, there’s no planned deadline for when the residents would have to hook up to the sewer. The subcommittee will bring its recommendations to the full council on Dec. 5.