9. Staff Report-Drainfield Property
Staff Report
Date of Meeting: July 30, 2014
To: Wastewater Advisory Committee
From: Kristina Handt, Administrator
Re: Property for A/E expansion
Background:
In 2001, the township made an offer of $56,000 to Steve and Carol Schroeder for 4.5 acres of their
land that is near the Anderson/Erickson drain field. This amount was based on an appraisal the
township had done by Remington Appraisals. The Schroeders however, felt their land was worth
more and an agreement on price was never reached. The Schroeders’ son Jordan approached the City
last month see if the City was still interested in purchasing the property. Most of the 4.5 acres would
be subdivided from the 23.4 acre parcel. They are working with another buyer on the larger parcel
but would be willing to consider an offer from the City on the land adjacent to the drain field. The
4.5 acres also includes a lot that goes to the lake and one that abuts the two other parcels. A drawing
on the exiting certificate of survey is included in your packet.
Currently the land is assessed at $237,400 for 23.4 acres or $10,145/acre.
Issue:
Should the Wastewater Advisory Committee recommend pursing the purchase of 4.5 acres for
drain field expansion?
Proposal Details:
The Wastewater Advisory Committee has been discussing and planning for the future needs of
the Anderson/Erickson system and included drain field expansion, if land was available, for 2022
or later.
As the Public Works Director mentioned a few months ago, Pete Ganzel said it would be
possible to replace the existing system in place but not to expand it. So the main question for the
committee is whether or not the system should expand in the future. There is the potential for 15
additional connections, though whether or not they could support their own onsite system has not
been determined. As we discussed last year when reviewing the Continenza request, the system
is at or near capacity. Furthermore, the committee should consider the potential increased
demand on the system as seasonal properties become larger, year round users.
Fiscal Impact:
The 201 fund is expected to have a fund balance of about $70,000 by 12/31/14. Some of the fund
balance could be used to purchase the land without needing to borrow or increase rates.