Sahuarita Town Council boosts new-home sewer fee by 25.7%
By Tim Ellis
Sahuarita's Town Council on Monday began what may be more than a decade of steadily increasing fees to pay for expansion of the town's sewer system. The town's financial director also said he'll soon ask the council to consider increasing sewer- user fees for homes already hooked up to the system.
Council members voted unanimously Monday to boost the cost of connecting new homes to the town's sewer system by an average of 25.7%, to an average of $3,876 per home from $3,084 per home. The connection-fee hike for new homes in Rancho Sahuarita and Rancho Resort will be effective Oct. 1, followed by an 8% hike on Jan. 1.
Sahuarita businessman Alex Jácome urged council members in a public hearing before the vote to consider phasing in the fee hikes over a long period of time.
"There's no disputing the fact that the sewer situation is in crisis," said Jácome, who's also a member of the town's Economic Development Commission. But the council should gradually increase the fees to lessen their impact on the sluggish housing market, he said.
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