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4. The_ individual, opinions of the County and Town Attorneys (Attachments IE, 1F, and <br />1 G) indicate that landfill funds can be used for community benefits only to the extent that <br />the need for those benefits is related to landfill operations. Based on conclusions A2 and <br />A3, it would. appear that funds other than landfill tipping fees must be used if the <br />governing boards elect to pursue water line extensions. The Board of Commissioners <br />believes fiords other than landfill fiords should be used. Does your jurisdiction concur in <br />this assessment? <br />B. Benefit #1 - Water /Sewer Extensions: Potential Approaches <br />At its February 10 meeting, the Board of Commissioners considered two potential <br />approaches to the water quality issue. <br />1. The County Engineer's analysis provides estimates of water line extension and <br />connection costs on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis. If all neighborhoods are <br />included, the total cost for construction, plumbing connections, acreage fees, and the like <br />is estimated at $2,889,000. The Board of Commissioners believes that the "historical" <br />Rogers Road neighborhood (outlined in the Engineer's report, Attachment 1 D) should be <br />included in any benefit related to water quality, and that any other neighborhoods in the <br />area with homes that pre -date the construction of the landfill should also receive priority <br />consideration. Our attorney's opinion is that the focus of benefits must be on <br />neighborhoods, rather than individual homes. <br />2. The Board of Commissioners received information (see Attachment 1H) from <br />Environmental Health Director Ron Holdway concerning several kinds of water filtration <br />systems. These systems are deemed to be quite effective at removing the most common <br />contaminants from well water, and are roughly estimated to cost between S 1,500 42,000 <br />per well (possibly more, depending on the nature and complexity of contamination in any <br />particular well).. <br />3. The Board of Commissioners would like to explore the quicker solution of individual <br />water filtration systems as another option to extending water lines. What does your <br />governing:board think about which neighborhoods should be included in any benefit <br />related to:_,water quality; which approaches should be pursued, and for which <br />aeighborfioods? <br />C. Benefit #1 - Water /Sewer Extensions: Cost Allocation <br />If conclusions A2, A3, and A4 are reached, and all costs are seen as properly borne using <br />public funds, there are differing estimated one time equivalent tax rate impacts for the <br />County and Towns, depending on the basis used for allocating the share of costs between <br />jurisdictions. The County Attorney expressed his opinion in the following excerpts from his <br />January 12, 1998 letter to the Board of Commissioners, that all jurisdictions can participate in <br />the provision of community benefits: <br />