West-side neighbors to meet on proposed annex, connecting to city services

Residents of Helenas Westside, whose lands are slated for future annexation by the city, plan to meet Monday to discuss the plan and the projected cost to connect to municipal water and sewer services.

The meeting will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Kessler School library, according to an email from Valerie Wilson, who is among the events organizers.

However, its unclear what participation city officials may have in the meeting as the city commission also meets that night, beginning at 6 p.m. That meeting will be held in the commission meeting room on the third floor of the City-County Building on Park Avenue.

This assembly of Westside residents will be the latest since the city announced plans last fall to seek a state loan that would fund the infrastructure work that is to start this summer.

City Manager Ron Alles said he wanted the water and sewer mains in place before the commission moved to annex the area, which city officials say is surrounded by city lands.

Some of those who live in this area rely on wells and septic systems while others have had either a well or septic system or both fail and have since connected to city services.

The cost to connect to services is based on the square footage of the property. The cost for a 100-foot-wide by 125-foot-deep lot, a typical size for the area, to receive city water service would be about $20,000. That same lot would pay between $12,000 and $13,000 for wastewater service, according to an estimate provided by a consultant for the city.

Those who have already paid to connect to either city water or sewer service wont face a new fee for that existing service, Alles said.

Residents also will not be saddled with the cost to increase the size of some of the existing water and sewer mains where necessary as the city plans to allocate funds for that work, the city manager added.

Among the questions residents have is why they should have to pay this cost if city utility mains are already fronting their property, Wilson noted in her email.

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West-side neighbors to meet on proposed annex, connecting to city services