ARIZONA DAILY STAR: Thurs., Dec. 11, 2008
New fee isn't likely to raise home prices
By Shelley Shelton
Marana's new wastewater system development impact fee will shift money the county now collects to the town when the town's wastewater utility is up and running. That means the new fee won't increase new-home prices in the area, according to the town's staff and the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association.
The town and the county have been wrangling in court for much of this year over which entity should own Marana's wastewater. Marana wants the water credits it would get by controlling its own effluent. Water rights are a major part of the town's identity — when it incorporated in 1978, the main issue was for farmers to protect their access to water.
The county is concerned about reimbursement from Marana for sewer infrastructure within the town limits and wants to know how the town plans to account for 75% of its sewer customers being customers of Tucson Water. The Town Council unanimously voted to adopt wastewater impact fees last month. That's just one step toward what the town sees as its eventual handling of its own wastewater, said Dorothy O'Brien, Marana's assistant utilities director.
County administrator Chuck Huckelberry said he can't comment on the town's latest move, partly because he's not familiar with it, but mostly because the county is still engaged in litigation with Marana.
"I expect that litigation to continue for some time," he said.
That doesn't bode well for the town's hope of having the fee kick in Feb. 2, meaning it wants to have its wastewater utility in place at that time. The fee takes effect Feb. 2 or whenever the wastewater utility is in place, whichever comes later. An impact fee is already in place that is paid to the county rather than Marana because the county currently handles Marana's wastewater.
"We're looking forward to being in the wastewater business and providing a full set of water services to our citizens," O'Brien said.
Marana's fees are likely to be somewhat lower than the county's, said David Godlewski, the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association's governmental affairs liaison. The county calculates fees based on the number of fixtures in a dwelling, while Marana will charge a flat rate based on the size of the water meter.
For the vast majority of new homes in Marana, that means the town will charge $5,300, Godlewski said. In the county, the average fee is around $6,000.
O'Brien said she hopes the difference will make the town more attractive to developers as they see how easy it is to calculate fees for an entire development. But Roger Yohem, vice president of the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, said too many other factors come into play when a developer is looking at an area.