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8.B. - Page 16 <br /> This is due to the jail's inmates placing debris into the sewer that causes disruption to the <br /> pumping facility. <br /> In 2008, the Authority sued the County to cover the cost of these extra services. Through <br /> a mediation process, in 2009, the County agreed to pay the Authority $2.3 million for past <br /> damages and ongoing costs related to the problem. The County also agreed to implement <br /> changes to its enforcement and monitoring of what the inmates put into the sewer. These <br /> changes have resulted in significantly reduced issues, but have not completely eliminated the <br /> issue. <br /> The Authority is in the early planning stages for replacement of the current pump station <br /> and is incorporating processes that will allow the pump station to remove the material introduced <br /> by the jail inmates. The new pump station will not be online until approximately the fourth quarter <br /> of 2016. It is estimated that the ongoing impact of the jail adds an additional cost of operating the <br /> existing pump station of approximately $150,000 to $200,000 per year. These costs are covered <br /> by the settlement agreement through fiscal year 2014-15. The modifications required for the new <br /> pump station are expected to add approximately $1.0 million to the cost of building the facility and <br /> will result in those costs being covered by the City as part of the cost of constructing the pump <br /> station. <br /> Sewer Facilities Fee for New Development <br /> The City levies a sewer facilities fee on applicants for new (or expanded) wastewater <br /> service as a condition of obtaining a permit to connect to the sewer system. This fee is used to <br /> help fund the cost of sewer facilities that provide benefit to the new or expanded connection. The <br /> City's sewer facilities fees are established by the city council of the City. The current sewer <br /> facilities fee for a new residential connection is $960. New non-residential connections pay a fee <br /> equal to $960 per each 2,000 square feet of building area. <br /> In addition, pursuant to the Joint Powers Agreement, the City also collects the Authority's <br /> connection fees and periodically remits payment of these fees to the Authority. <br /> Future Capital Needs <br /> The City budgets funds annually for capital improvements to its sewer collection system <br /> including repairs, replacements, upgrades, and expansions. Historically, the City budgeted <br /> approximately $1 million annually for capital improvements to its sewer system, excluding <br /> payments made to the Authority for improvements to the Authority's wastewater system. Starting <br /> in fiscal year 2008-09, the City began raising its sewer rates to provide increased funding for its <br /> sewer system capital needs. The City appropriated $7.00 million for sewer system capital funding <br /> in fiscal year 2015-16 in addition to capital improvement program designations carried over from <br /> prior years, and projects to budget between $4.0 million and $7.0 million annually through fiscal <br /> year 2019-20. The City anticipates fully funding its sewer system capital improvements on a <br /> pay-as-you-go basis. <br /> The City updated its 2008 Sanitary Sewer Master Plan in January 2013. The revision <br /> included an hydraulic analysis with updated flow monitoring information and land use data. These <br /> revisions resulted in an updated cost for the recommended capital improvement projects that were <br /> identified in the 2008 Sewer Master Plan. This new update identified approximately $45,281,000 <br /> of recommended capital improvements to the City's wastewater collection system to address <br /> existing and future growth capacities. Based on priority rankings, approximately $14,242,000 of <br />