Authority seeks pump-station repairs and proposes voluntary leak-protection plan

Keith Sanders, the authority’s assistant director, told the board that the Colorado Avenue sewer pump station suffered a total failure late last year and that an engineering evaluation found the station at the end of its useful life and in need of full rehabilitation. Sanders said Timmons Engineering proposed $81,500 in engineering services for the project and recommended purchasing a pump rather than continuing long-term rentals, which staff calculate will save county funds over an 18-month period.

Why it matters: the authority is responsible for maintaining sewer service and avoiding expensive emergency rentals. Sanders told the board that purchasing a pump would avoid ongoing rental costs and create a county asset; staff asked the board to use fund balance for immediate purchases and to budget remaining engineering costs in the fiscal year 2027 capital program.

During the discussion Sanders summarized costs and timing: the engineering phase is expected to take about 18 months; staff estimated purchasing a pump would yield roughly $47,000 in net savings compared with continued monthly rentals over the 18-month window. The board heard questions about the pump price and repayment timing; staff did not present a final procurement contract at the meeting.

Separately, authority staff described problems with the current process for manually adjusting sewer bills after customer leaks. Staff said the adjustment workflow consumes several staff hours per claim and that the authority recorded approximately $173,000 in revenue adjustments from 2020 through February 2026. To reduce administrative burden and improve customer relief, staff summarized a voluntary leak-protection program administered by a private vendor (identified in the meeting as a HomeServe program). Under the proposed model the customer would repair the leak, the vendor would validate the claim and issue payment to the authority for the high-water or sewer portion above a customer’s average usage; the customer would pay a voluntary monthly premium for the coverage and could opt out.

Board direction and next steps: the board approved the staff request to proceed with the pump-station work authorization (resolution 26-11). On the leak-protection concept staff asked for permission to draft a revised adjustment policy (converting from ad hoc sewer adjustments to a vendor-backed leak-protection approach) and to include it in the FY27 budget process with full public notice and hearings before any rate changes. Sanders said the program would be voluntary, with an opt-out period for customers and an initial enrollment approach for active and new accounts. No final rate or contract was adopted at the meeting; staff will return with a draft policy and recommended terms as part of the FY27 budget process.