Neighbours are moving, too expensive

[crash 99]

Okay...just quizzed the Bro again. ( to ask about his experience with this)
His initial bill from the City is approx $7,800.00 (*if memory serves him - the add on to the taxes is approx $800.00 per year if he wants to put it over the 20 years.)

The "going rate" is approx $3,800.00 for a Contractor to come in and finish the lines to the house.
Amazingly enough...all of his neighbourhood is Happy with the performance of BCUnderground. (one neighbour had a problem with "sinkage" and BCU came back and fixed it.)

If anyone still has to do their install to the house, he suggests doing what he and his neighbours did, ~get together and hire one contractor to do the works. Usually can get a deal that way.

[Bubalouie]

Talked to friends that had work done last year in the SpringValley area and their bill from the city is $8300.00. They have until April 14 to let the city know how they are paying it.
It cost them $2800.00 to have the independant contractor hook them up.
They were not happy with BC Underground, they left their street completely unaccessable until one of the residents pointed it out at 4 pm on a Friday afternoon, then they quickly made sure that at least if necessary an emergency vehicle could get through. Once that was done, they all sat down behind one of the trucks and had their end of the day beers.

One of their neighbors had some problems, the city gave wrong depths or something so they were told to come back and dig their lines deeper which they did but that pushed back their hook up by their contractor, (he was the one that discovered the wrong depth).

[BriTer]

Okay...just quizzed the Bro again. ( to ask about his experience with this)
His initial bill from the City is approx $7,800.00 (*if memory serves him - the add on to the taxes is approx $800.00 per year if he wants to put it over the 20 years.)

The "going rate" is approx $3,800.00 for a Contractor to come in and finish the lines to the house.
Amazingly enough...all of his neighbourhood is Happy with the performance of BCUnderground. (one neighbour had a problem with "sinkage" and BCU came back and fixed it.)

If anyone still has to do their install to the house, he suggests doing what he and his neighbours did, ~get together and hire one contractor to do the works. Usually can get a deal that way.

$7,800 for his share plus the same from the guy across the street, $15,600.

I suppose you could get a private contractor to do the work, but I'm pretty sure that would negate the Federal Grant the City get's to install the Sewers. The homeowners share the costs after the grant money is taken off of the overall bill.

...and there was a Federal grant? If there was a grant that covered part of the cost doesn't that $15,600 seem a bit high to anyone?? Consider also that your taxes went up due to higher property evaluation (because services were improved) in part to cover the cost of the upgrades.

In a community I lived in services were put in and taxes went up. There was no added charge to the homeowner, there was no Federal grant.

[eyepop]

The Wife just reminded me that we paid $6000.00 a couple years ago... I always thought it was $3500.00... .

maybe she pocketed $2500.

[AlanH]

The Wife just reminded me that we paid $6000.00 a couple years ago... I always thought it was $3500.00... .

maybe she pocketed $2500.

Haha.. could be..

[trapp]

The sewer and water infrastructure on Fisher / KLO cost $12,700 per household. That is the main lines and a water and sewer connection at the property line. Cost for a contractor to do the hookup range from $2500 to $5000 depending on degree of difficulty to do the hook ups. In some cases a ditch has to be dug all the way around to the back of the house. Also the water table is above the required depth of lines in some cases.

[trapp]

The saddest part of this whole scenario is that The City is taking advantage of a money grab. There is no way to participate in recouping part of your investment in the infrastructure from new construction unless you put the total payment to your taxes for 20 years, with no interest saving on payout. It is a no win situation, except for the City.

I see your point but I'm wondering how much of a cash grab this actually is. Was there any indication or estimation of how much of the cost could be recouped from new construction (if you went the City financed route)?

What I'm seeing now is that the City offers financing at not so great terms and then allows you to recoup some of the lending costs through payments collected (by the city) from new construction. If you could pay for it yourself you will either save the interest entirely or you pay less finance fees to an alternate lender. The exercise is left to the homeowner to run the numbers and decide which option is best for them.

OffRoad I wrote a long post about this, but somehow it must not have posed. In a nutshell there are two subdivisions which will probably be built in the next five years. Financing via city taxes and no interest saving for a payout, in say five years, will mean a "loss" situation. The city will gain the money from the share for the properties that pay out, or defer on the tax deferral system.

[FourStar]

Anyone have any recent news about this? How did others hookups go, total cost, etc. A house I'm looking at has spetic in Rutland. I suppose I could put that into the asking price...+