With county-funded sewer lines nearly done, West Point staff propose cutting a $5,200 impact fee to $1,691

West Point staff have proposed cutting the sewer impact fee charged on new development in the city's northwest area to $1,691 per equivalent residential connection from $5,200, according to council packets. ^[2][3]

Who pays for the sewer lines

The city's fiscal 2025 audit describes two agreements with Davis County for the sewer expansion: $2 million for design and management and $24 million for construction. The city hires the engineers and contractors, pays upfront and then requests reimbursement from the county. ^[1]

The audit says design was complete, construction was 62% complete, the city had received 13 reimbursements and the project was expected to be completed by December 2026. It says "the process is going smoothly." ^[1]

In fiscal 2025 the waste utility recorded $10,660,926 in grant revenue, received $9,904,516 in cash from local grants and spent $10,728,354 on capital assets. At June 30, 2025, it was owed $4,072,391 by other governments, owed $1,997,990 in accounts payable and owed $1,505,000 to other city funds; its cash balance was $4,520. ^[1]

The city's unaudited April 2026 statements show a $2,367,936.47 cash allocation to the waste fund. ^[4]

Why staff want a lower fee

A Sept. 1 staff memo says the current impact fee is $5,200 and was established in November 2021. Staff recommended that a new fee be adopted at an upcoming meeting. ^[2]

The Sept. 15 memo says the fee was set before the sewer expansion began and before State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds arrived, and assumed the entire area would be paid for by impact fees. With the project nearing completion, staff said they could better estimate which remaining areas need impact-fee funding. ^[3]

The updated facilities plan by Bowen Collins & Associates, dated July 2026, says there are no eligible costs to recover through impact fees from the federally funded gravity lines and lift station. Its analysis calculates a maximum fee of $1,691.35 per connection. ^[3]

The fee applies only to the area served by the expansion, and the money can be spent only there. The memo says the only impact fees collected in that area have come from the Salt Grass development. ^[3]

What happens next

Ordinance No. 09-15-2026A was scheduled for a public hearing and action on Sept. 15. The copy in the packet is unsigned, and its effective-date section says it takes effect 90 days after council approval. ^[3]

Separately, a Sept. 1 memo proposed a $359,852.83 change order with RJT Excavating for another section of sewer line on 4500 West. Staff wrote that the city expected to have "between $300-$500K left over" after approved projects and that the county had about $150,000 to $200,000 more it would like to commit. ^[2]