American Fork draft halves irrigation base fee for owners with a share per acre

American Fork irrigation shareholders would pay half the standard residential base rate for pressurized irrigation if they assign at least one share per acre to their property, under a draft city agreement. ^[1]

The draft was in the packet for the City Council's Nov. 3 work session. Dated Oct. 26, it would replace existing shareholder discount agreements once a shareholder signs and the city accepts it. A resolution revising the agreement was pulled from the council's Oct. 27 agenda before discussion and sent to a work session, after two residents spoke against the draft during public comment. ^[1][2]

Work sessions take no votes. The city had not posted video or minutes of the Nov. 3 session as of Nov. 5, and the agreement is not on the council's Nov. 10 agenda. ^[1][3]

How the discount would work

Each irrigation company share equals two acre-feet of water, the draft says. Half of that, one acre-foot, would be credited to the city system for carrying the water. The other acre-foot per share would be delivered to the owner's property as its Tier 1 allotment for the April 15 to Oct. 15 watering season, split evenly into monthly billing allotments. ^[1]

Owners with less than one share per acre would get a prorated discount. Owners with more would get an added prorated discount, but the monthly base fee could not drop below $0. Only properties inside the system's legacy service boundaries, land first served by the old irrigation ditches, would qualify. ^[1]

Water used beyond a month's Tier 1 allotment would be billed at the higher tier rates. A shareholder could file a reconciliation form by Dec. 31, and if the season's total use stayed within the annual allotment, the city would adjust the overage charges by April 15 of the next year. The adjustment would not touch the base fee. A bracketed note in the draft says the city still has to confirm whether the Dec. 31 deadline is firm or can be extended. ^[1]

Shares and ownership

Signing would not transfer the shares to the city or tie them legally to the land, the draft says. A share could not be counted for more than one property or utility account at a time. An owner who sells shares would have to tell the city, which would recalculate the discount. A new agreement would be needed after a change in property, share ownership or trust administration, or the death of a shareholder, and changes for the coming season would be due by April 1. ^[1]

The discount would apply to the metered rates that take effect Jan. 1, 2027. For single-family homes, the monthly base rate is $0.0017 times the lot size in square feet plus $3.50, with a $18.80 minimum, plus tiered charges for water used. ^[4]