Beaver City adopts irrigation disconnect fee and weighs disaster recovery hire

The Beaver City Council on Oct. 13 voted unanimously by roll call to approve an ordinance setting fees to disconnect from and reconnect to the city's pressurized irrigation (PI) system. The council first held a public hearing, and no one commented. ^[1]

A draft of the ordinance in the meeting packet sets the fee at $740 for a disconnection and $740 for a reconnection. It says each job takes about three hours of labor at $100 an hour, $435 of mini-excavator work and $5 in plugging hardware, and it cites flood damage to the system's main diversion structure. The minutes do not restate the amount, and the draft leaves the hearing date blank, so the adopted text may differ. ^[2]

City Manager Monte Hawkins said the fees are for residents who want to disconnect from the PI system and then reconnect once it is more stable. Mayor Matt Robinson said he understood the frustration of residents and staff. He said the city has put more work into maintaining the system this year than in any year he could recall, and that it has been the system's most expensive year. ^[1]

Hawkins also presented a proposed disaster recovery specialist position. The job would handle damage assessments, grant administration, project tracking, documentation, reimbursement requests and infrastructure restoration. It would be housed in and mainly managed by Beaver City under a memorandum of understanding with Beaver County, whose work would be handled on a contract basis. Hawkins said recovery is expected to last at least five years. The minutes record no vote on the position. ^[1]

On FEMA, Hawkins said staff were waiting for the declaration to be uploaded so the city could reach the agency's portal and file its request for public assistance. FEMA is expected to cover about 75 percent of qualified projects, leaving the city 25 percent, which could be met through in-kind work, grants and state assistance. ^[1]

Hawkins reported that the city's purchasing policy dates to 2014. His proposed update would incorporate FEMA and state procurement guidelines and require three bids for purchases over $15,000, matching the general federal baseline. Robinson asked council members and the city attorney to review the draft before it returns for adoption by resolution. The council then went into closed session on pending or imminent litigation and took no action. ^[1]