OGDEN — Residents of unincorporated Weber County will soon see a $5 fee to pay for storm and sewer maintenance and repair.
The Weber County Board of Commissioners approved an ordinance allowing the fee during their weekly Tuesday meeting in the Commission Chambers of the Weber Center, 2380 Washington Blvd.
At this time, the county does not know when or how it will implement the $5 fee. The county spoke with its legal department and could not get the fee onto the upcoming tax notice.
However, when the fee is implemented, it will only affect residents of unincorporated areas of Weber County, because more cities have their own sewer services and fees.
Weber County Engineer Jared Andersen said the county adopted an ordinance in 2005 allowing for a storm and sewer fee. However, the county never put it into place.
“There are multiple projects in the upper valley and lower valley that can use these funds,” Andersen said.
Until now, the repairs have been paid for through the general fund, taking money away from other projects in the county.
The problems came to a head last year when the storms flooded parts of the county.
“We are putting Band-Aids on these projects, and we are fixing them just enough to keep them operating,” Andersen said.
About 100 projects in the county need attention.
Third-party engineers did an analysis of the projects and maintenance that needs to be performed, including repairs to projects to direct storm water, repairs of detention basins and the enhancement of flood plain corridors. The engineers figured the county needs to charge about $16 a month for each developed household to cover the cost of repairs.
The county, however, reviewed what the incorporated areas charge for storm and sewer operations and decided to charge $5.
The county will prioritize repairs based on need and safety of residents.
Andersen said the county is still ironing out details with the Weber County Attorney’s Office.
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