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Home My WebLink About11-07-19 Public Comment - M. Kelley (with Gallatin City-County Health Department) - Wholly Surrounded AnnexationFrom:Andrea Surratt To:Agenda Subject:FW: annexationDate:Thursday, November 07, 2019 4:16:41 PM From: Kelley, Matt <Matt.Kelley@gallatin.mt.gov> Sent: Friday, November 1, 2019 5:30 PM To: Greg Sullivan <gsullivan@BOZEMAN.NET>; Anna Rosenberry <ARosenberry@BOZEMAN.NET>; Andrea Surratt <ASurratt@BOZEMAN.NET>; Chris Saunders <csaunders@BOZEMAN.NET>; Lance Lehigh <llehigh@BOZEMAN.NET> Cc: Christenson, Lori <Lori.Christenson@gallatin.mt.gov>; Chris Mehl <CMehl@BOZEMAN.NET> Subject: [SENDER UNVERIFIED]annexation Hello all - Before the week is out, I wanted to take a few minutes to communicate (a bit more eloquently than I did in my ~3 minutes on Monday) the public health perspective on annexation of territory wholly surrounded by the City of Bozeman. As I noted Monday, the Health Department’s only real interest in this issue is through the public health implications. In that spirit, here are my main concerns on this topic right now: 1. In at least some of the inholdings, we have a high percentage of homes being served by septic systems that are older than 30 years and/or are unpermitted altogether. We are seeing some of these systems starting to fail (at least three have failed along Western Drive/25th Avenue in the last few months). As residents work to repair/replace their systems, we are often faced with a textbook illustrations of the advantages of centralized sewer systems. Often, installation of new systems is not possible without some accommodation allowing the system to be installed within setbacks to drinking water wells or property lines or something else. We are likely to see more of these systems fail and more people seeking to replace systems on lots that are too small to meet state or local wastewater treatment regulations. 2. In order for connection to city services to be of assistance, we really need a process and physical circumstances on site that allow timely and affordable connection. If we have a failed system (sewage on the ground or in the house), it’s usually not practical to suggest the applicant wait months to connect. Also, state regulations on this only require connection to centralized sewer if the cost of connecting is 3x the cost of putting in an onsite system. My rule of thumb for an onsite system is about $15k. So, if connecting to the City exceeds $45k I suspect it will become increasingly difficult to require connection, at least under the authority of the sanitation act and various state regulations that we use at the health department. 3. It is also in the interest of public health to preserve affordable housing, which many of the inholdings currently provide. Fortunately, I know this is also a strategic priority of the City. This issue cuts two ways. First, we don’t want to create costs that force people to move out of affordable homes. But on the other hand, annexation into the City could open doors to higher density in some places. We have dealt with compliance cases (on Yerger Drive and 25th) where residents had additional living units that were not allowed under County zoning or the onsite wastewater permit. 4. We have access to about $50,000 in grant funding from the State of Montana for a revolving loan fund to assist people install new septic system or connect to centralized sewer. We are working with HRDC to set up this loan system, which would be used throughout the County. We are currently seeking matching funds required under this grant. If we can figure out the matching funds, we could discuss how this fund could be used to assist people seeking to connect to City services. I think Lori and I are scheduled to chat with Greg and Anna sometime next week. I just wanted to communicate these high-level concerns this week as I wished I had been more eloquent in doing so on Monday. I also want to express appreciation (again) to Lance and Chris Saunders for working proactively in the last several weeks to help us serve folks who may be connecting to the City soon. I really feel that collaboration is good government and we appreciate the help in making it possible. Thanks again for considering these concerns and ideas. We appreciate the partnership. -Matt Matt Kelley, MPH / Health Officer GALLATIN CITY-COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT______________________________________ P 406 582 3100 / F 406 582 3112 / E matt.kelley@gallatin.mt.gov Confidentiality Notice: This communication is intended solely for the use of the individual or organization to whom it is addressed. The information contained in this message may be privileged and confidential. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and destroy this message. If you are not the intended recipient, you should not use, copy, alter, or disclose the contents of this message. All information or opinions expressed in this message and/or any attachments are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Gallatin City- County Health Department (GCCHD). GCCHD accepts no responsibility for loss or damage arising from its use.