By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
HOWARD – A developer project has been added to the village’s budget for 2020.
Chris Haltom, director of administrative services, said a developer came forward since next year’s budget was adopted last month.
It’s a proposed development on two parcels that would complete a road connection between Folkstone Drive and Stockbury Street on the west end of the Glen Kent Estates subdivision while providing approximately 35 residential lots.
Haltom said the cost of the village’s infrastructure, such as sewer and water mains, storm sewer and roads, are recorded as assets in Howard with developers being charged fees for their projects.
“We typically give them three years to pay it off,” Haltom said.
The budgeted amount with the amendment for 2020 is for $1,775,000 with capital projects/enterprise funds.
Jared Schmidt, an engineer with Robert E. Lee & Associates, which provided the village a drawing of the proposed development, along with Andy Otradovec of Hudson Knox Construction and Rob Ernest of Big Ox Energy, were on hand for the Howard village board’s meeting Monday, Dec. 9, on behalf of the project.
Mike Kaster, the village’s director of engineering, said the board’s action amending next year’s budget to add the project allows the developer to go through the planning process.
A plat would be brought to the Plan Commission and village board for approval and then staff would begin the due diligence design work.
“This (budget amendment) isn’t by any means the go-ahead for the project,” Kaster said. “(It’s) just kind of the green light to start going through the planning process.”
He said the only person who would be assessed for the project would be the developer.
Sewer rate revision
As part of the consent agenda, the board approved an ordinance revision to reflect the correct sanitary sewer rates taking effect in the village next year.
The revision replaces the ordinance approved by the board last month.
For Category A sewage, which is defined as “normal or domestic strength wastewater,” the monthly facilities charge for all customers will by increasing by 40 cents to $7, while the volume charge for all customers is going up by 40 cents per 1,000 gallons to $6.30.
For Category B sewage, which has higher levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), phosphorus (P) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) than allowed in Category A, the per-pound rates are decreasing by about 1.5 cents for BOD, approximately .3 cents for TSS and around 4.2 cents for P, while increasing by nearly 12 cents for TKN.
The monthly facilities and volume charges for Category B sewage will be the same as for Category A customers.