Boulder this week rejected a motion to create a water advisory board, moved to revisit its price for bulk water and decided to apply water sales revenues solely to water meter repair.
At Monday’s City Council meeting, the four-member council and mayor unanimously voted to use the $11,392 collected from the sale of nearly 1.14 million gallons to replace residents’ aging water meters, which City Administrator Brian Bullock has warned could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“What I want to do is pay for the water meters now, so the homeowner is not obligated to do so for the defective water meters,” said councilman Drew Dawson, who introduced the motion.
This seemed to mark a shift from the council’s August confirmation that residents are liable for meter repairs and replacements, despite being prohibited from servicing meters themselves. Resident Greg Hughes, for instance, battled the city for months over paying $395 to replace his failed meter.
Of Boulder’s 500-plus meters installed in 2014, just two have broken, and the current fund could replace as many as 40 meters, according to Bullock. Homeowners remain responsible for meters damaged through negligence, while the city plans to create a replacement fund to cover property owners’ costs when meters fail.
“Long-term planning, that’s something that we’ll look at incorporating into our monthly rate of water and sewer bills, whether that be 50 cents a month, dollar a month, something like that,” Bullock said.
The Council also voted to revisit the rate it charges for bulk water, $10 for 1,000 gallons. The motion recommended that rates be set to ensure the city is able to maintain and upgrade infrastructure. Last month, when told that Big Timber used a tiered pricing structure of $14 for 1000 gallons for city residents, $15 for county residents, and $20 for those outside the county, Bullock said “it’s a good idea.”
No date was set for the bulk water rate review. Meanwhile, Boulder is also planning to increase local water fees. The City has an early November funding call with state officials and attorneys as part of its infrastructure loan process. The first two phases of Boulder’s water system improvements are expected to cost $7.6 million through 2027, after which the City Council expects to increase water fees. This will require public hearings, offering residents an opportunity to comment and ask questions.
For months, the city sold water to Bullock Contracting, which delivered it to the Crazy Mountain Ranch, owned by the same parent company as the Yellowstone Club. These sales drew considerable criticism, leading to the proposal of a water advisory board.
The Council declined to create a citizen advisory committee on bulk water sales. Dawson cited the “time, energy, and expenses of special committees” and pointed out that residents are able to provide input at council meetings. He added that further bulk water sales were unlikely through 2026.
