Council notes water moratorium expired; attorney warns extension could risk inverse-condemnation claim

Mayor Sydney Wiley opened a discussion on the town water moratorium, noting that "the water moratorium was put into place on June 12th, 2023, for the duration of up to one (1) year." Attorney Jon Hesse told the council that removing the moratorium was advisable and that extending it could expose the town to an inverse-condemnation claim.

Councilman Brian Eckenrod asked about the engineering report’s estimate that the town currently had room for roughly 12 possible connections. Town staff and council discussed that the town will need funding for system repairs and a new well to support growth; the next steps recorded were to work with Great West Engineering on water-application revisions and to return a revised application for council review at the July meeting.

The minutes record that the moratorium had expired and that staff would pursue capacity and application changes; the transcript does not record a formal motion to continue or extend the moratorium during this meeting.