(11/28) After trying for a reduction in water and sewer tap fees in September, Pastor John Talcott of Christ Community Church asked the Town Council for a payment plan instead, which would allow the church to begin their building process while the Council debates the fees for all non-profits, not just churches.

These fees were found to be considerably higher than in other local municipalities. This discovery encouraged the Council to begin discussing how the fees are determined for commercial as well as non-profit organizations.

However, Commissioner Amy Pollitt stressed that there were really two very different requests from the church: one for the payment plan request and one to modify the amount they would pay if and when the rates are changed.

The church will need to pay $164,160 for a 10,500 square foot addition, which will add 198 seats to the sanctuary and additional classrooms. These fees are 8% of their total construction budget and must be paid before they can get a building permit. As a non-profit, the church will be using donations and loans to build the addition.

Town Attorney Leslie Powell said the current ordinance allows for payment plans, however they only apply to commercial businesses that create employment opportunities. Since other non-profit organizations have raised this same issue before, in her opinion, "It wouldn’t be fair to treat one type of non-profit differently than another." Thus, she suggested the Council consider creating a resolution to the ordinance that includes all non-profits, not just churches.

She also asked the Council to consider the impact of reducing the fees on the Town’s budget, as the recent 36% increase still proves to be a sore topic for town residents. Since the increase is designed to bring the Town’s water budget out of the red, a reduction in the church's fees would prove detrimental to that goal.

Another item to consider is even though the church intends to use the building only eight to ten hours a week, that could change. Many churches host meetings for emotional support as well as preschools and other community programs which would increase the use of the buildings’ water sources (toilets, hand washing etc.).

The number of taps a building is allotted is based on the size of the proposed building. In this case, Pollitt pointed out that at the last meeting, the architect of the project stated the church opted to build as large as the buildable space would allow, granting them the max number of taps. "What happens if the building is sold and then used at full capacity?" she asked. "Our opportunity for these fees is lost."

After much back and forth, the Council was unable to grant Talcott his request for the payment plan. There was still forward movement though, as the Council did ask Town staff to create a mock resolution to the existing ordinance that would describe the requirements for the payment plan and they intend to discuss the fees themselves at a later date.