Cheney may raise sewer fees

CHENEY – Cheney residents decried a proposed increase in new sewer hook-up fees, with some saying raising the fee from around $800 to $4,830 per single-family home will keep developers away.

“A jump of this magnitude – I feel it’s imprudent at this time,” one real estate agent told the City Council at its meeting Tuesday night.

Another real estate agent said he feared that developers wouldn’t come to Cheney to build anymore.

“These are folks that have built around the state,” he said.

The Public Works Department is recommending that the council raise the rates so they are more consistent with rates in cities around Spokane County, but residents felt it would be too high an increase at one time.

Local developer Steve Emtman suggested the council look at ways to implement the increase gradually rather than all at once.

“Right now, it hurts,” he said.

Emtman said he understood the reasoning behind the rate increase, but argued that such a jump now would hurt the area.

“It probably should have been raised five, 10 years ago and now we’re being punished,” he said.

“I think the higher number is absolutely justified,” Councilmember Tom Truelove said. “We’re just really inadequate the way we are now.”

“It makes sense to me to do it a little more gradually,” said Councilmember Mike McKeehan.

The council decided that city staff should look at alternatives to the rate increase and agreed to hear those ideas at its next regular meeting March 11.

In other action Tuesday, the council:

•Approved a contract that formally designates the law firm of Witherspoon, Kelley, Davenport & Toole as its city attorney.

Stan Schwartz officially took his seat for the first time after the contract was approved.

•Tom Richardson, the director of community development, brought to the council a plan to annex almost 12 acres southeast of the intersection of Betz Road and State Road 904.

The developer is planning to build self-storage units and a couple of pads for future development, he said.

The council, however, was concerned that the developer has plans to use the land for commercial use, and it is zoned for light industrial use by the city’s comprehensive plan.

The council decided to go forward with modifying the classification of the land use before proceeding with annexation.

•Commander Rick Campbell of the Cheney Police Department asked the council to adopt Spokane County Code 5.04, which deals with animal control and assigns the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service to handle cases in Cheney.

SCRAPS currently handles animal control issues in Cheney, but there are also other laws in place in the city. Truelove expressed concerns that the county ordinances don’t necessarily apply to the needs of Cheney.

“We just want to start the conversation about how to do animal control in the city,” Campbell said.

The council agreed to discuss the issue again at its meeting March 11.