Hayden increases sewer rate, other fees

HAYDEN — The Hayden City Council approved a new fee schedule Tuesday with multiple increases.

Building fees, permit fees, recreation fees, vendor booth fees and more will all go up starting Sept. 1.

Fees increased by anywhere from $2.50 per month for the sewer rate, to tripling from $1,000 to $3,500 for a lift station inspection.

The fee increases were the result of a study done by staff to review the time it takes and cost of processing each of the fees in the schedule.

“On an annual basis, and sometimes more frequently as needed, we have the departments review their fees to see if they’re still reasonable, or if they need to be adjusted to cover the cost of their services that we provide,” City Administrator Brett Boyer said. “In this case we had some that were more than 5% and in which case it requires a public hearing.”

The changes were mostly in community development and in sewer fees, though impact fees will also likely increase after a public hearing Sept. 12.

For sewer fees, a consultant suggested that fees had to go up slightly to cover the cost of maintenance in the sewer system, Boyer said.

The only public comment so far in the budget hearing was regarding the sewer fee rate increase.

“I was a little concerned when I got the notice that sewer fees were going up,” Hayden resident Gary McCullam said. “Our rates just seem so much out of proportion to what they should be. We’re all being asked to tighten our budget … why aren’t the cities being asked to tighten their budgets?”

City staff tracked data for the time it takes to process community projects, and based the community development fees on that time, said Community Development Director Donna Phillips. The fees were also based on comparative data to nearby cities.

The new schedule also reflects some clarifications in the language of the impact fees as necessary, but does not reflect those proposed rate changes that will be published in The Press Friday.

City fees typically cover the administrative costs of a fee request or service, for example a public hearing can cost the city to have staff present to answer questions and facilitate a meeting, plus notices and internal paperwork.

The city council members also opened a 2024 budget hearing Tuesday, but will continue the hearing into the next council meeting Sept. 12 before likely approving the budget totaling $8.3 million.