Hello Everyone,

The next water board meeting will be held via GoToMeeting, April 15th at 6:30 pm.  It can be accessed anywhere via phone, tablet, laptop, desktop.  The meeting is limited to 250 participants.

The link and details will be provided soon.  Please come back for more details.

Your Board

Remington Water District Special Call Meeting
Mon, Mar 30, 2020 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM (PDT)

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/594801269

You can also dial in using your phone.
(For supported devices, tap a one-touch number below to join instantly.)

United States: +1 (646) 749-3112
– One-touch: tel:+16467493112,,594801269#

Access Code: 594-801-269

New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/594801269

Hello Everyone,

99% of everyone have expressed interest in the LID as the method to fund the upgrades to the system.

The LID gives:

– LUMP SUM PAYMENT:  Each of us, individually, to pay off the shared portion in a lump sum with no increase in user monthly fees
or
– MONTHLY PAYMENT:  Each of us, individually, can elect to pay the lump sum over the period of 20 years.  This increase would be the lump sum amount divided by 20 for an annual payment.  It is recommended that each user set aside a monthly amount for the annual payment.  (Example:  $2500 lump sum / 20 years = $125 a year or $10.42 a month set aside.)

– Current users will pay for only upgrading the system to satisfy DEQ minimal requirements for the original system design of 469 users.

– New growth users will pay for the needed upgrades to meet their demands above the 469 original users to 700.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

Kind Regards,

Your Board

Hello Everyone,

In light of the Corona Virus situation, many of you are concerned about attending tonight’s meeting, 6:30 pm at the Athol Community Center.  This is understandable.  You may send your vote/voice to our mailing address

Remington Water District
P.O.Box 2788
Hayden, ID  83835

or email

votes@rwdonline.org

If sending an email, simply state your vote for one of the following:
1)  LID
2)  Revenue Bond
3)  LID+Revenue Bond

Then add any comments or questions you may have.

Kind Regards,

Your Board

All 2/19 meeting documents are available for download and review under the tab “2/19 Meeting Documents”.  The documents available are:

1. The Remington Water Facility Plan is a 200+ page document giving cost break downs and details of the overall plan.  It is a 75mb PDF document.
2. FAQ document covers the main topics and questions everyone had at the meeting.
3. Chairman notes is a pdf of the 20+ year history of the district.
4. Meeting Presentation is the power point that Welch Comer used for their presentation.
5. Funding Options Summary  covers all the different funding methods covered at the meeting.

After reviewing the above documents, please send questions to: niutilitybill @ hotmail.com

The next meeting will be March 18th, 6:30pm at the Athol Community Center.

Some believe that the only reason Remington Water District is trying to upgrade the wells is to enrich board members through private dealings with developers. 

The Truth:  Since 1999, the district has had 1 large well and 2 small wells.   The two small wells can handle domestic water usage during the winter.  The large well is the work horse during the summer.  If the big well ever went down during the summer, the district would not be able to provide fire flow (1,000 gal per minute) and water demand.

The board has known this and has been working towards building up the funds needed to put in one additional well.  Each developer has paid for their own infrastructure that has been added to the system.  In exchange, each developer has paid annexation fees to put towards the new well.

In 1999, the water district had $30,000.  Today the district has $700k.  The system was designed for 460 connections.  The district currently has 367 connections.  Our low rates of encouraging water usage is part of the problem.

The district has tried to do everything out of pocket without increasing rates or impacting our current users.  For 20 years, we had one rate increase of $10, from $25 to $35 with an increase of 10,000 gallons to the base from 15,000 gal to 25,000 gal.

For 20 years the district has put aside money.  During those 20 years, the district purchased two 250,000 watt backup generators powered by liquid propane, out of pocket (over $100k).  During those same 20 years the district has set aside close to $700k for a new well, coming from annexation fees and cap fees.

Before DEQ changed the requirements, the district anticipated only having to add one well to the system at $900k in 2008.  Today, due to DEQ requirements, it is more.

The TRUTH IS each board member owns a home in the district.  We are all neighbors out here and none of us wants to be screwed.  We all want an amazing water system.

The Remington Water District in 1999 had user rates of $25 per 15,000 gallons as a base.  The district has raised it’s rates one time to $35 per 25,000 gallons as a base rate.   The board has always wanted to encourage water usage by implementing an $0.80 per 1000 gallons between 25k-100k gallons used and then $0.60 per 1000 gallons over 100k gallons.  Unfortunately, those low rates is what caused us to not meet fire flow (1,000 gal per minute for an hour) and peak water demand in Aug of 2018.  EVERYONE was watering!

Those 3-5 days of water usage is what DEQ is using to determine that we are at capacity.  Even though, the system was originally designed for 460 connections and we have 367 connections.

(See attached water rate comparisons)

The district purchased an old AG well that had been used for decades from Sean McCormick back in 2007ish with the intent of cleaning it up and using it as our back up well.

After much consideration and the location of the well, the requirements of keeping the well from becoming contaminated, easements (all properties within Shamrock Ranch I and II have a 10-15′ easement on every border of each parcel), the location of the drive-ways, and dealing with 4 homeowners, McCormick is cost prohibitive to use.  Not to mention the tensions it would create with neighbors.  (see attached packet)

The district is looking at other options.

It has come to the boards attention that there is mis-information being spread about the intentions of the district in regards to acquiring other water systems within northern Kootenai county.

#1 Mis-Information Being Spread:
The water district is trying to take over other systems to make money, back door deals or board members will benefit from these “deals”

#1 The TRUTH:
Neither the district or it’s board members will make money off the acquisition of these other water systems.  The only benefit the district will receive, an increase of monthly user fees.  Even this is not accurate.

If the district takes over another system, it would be to help that system with management and by providing that system with the opportunity to borrow funds at lower rates as a government taxing district, which these systems could not do on their own.  That’s it.  Any fees gained from taking over a system is minimal to the district.  The majority of the funds from each system acquired would ultimately need to be set aside for that system for emergencies.  The recommended amount of funds that should be set aside for a system should be 10% of the value of the system.

So why take over other systems?  #1 – because Idaho agencies would like to see all small systems consolidated into one big government water system under RAFN.  #2 – to help other systems improve their situations.

#2 Mis-Information Being Spread:
The water district would make our current users foot the bill for the upgrade of systems being acquired.

#2 TRUTH:
All of the board members are users of the Remington Water District system.  Making us pay for another system to upgrade their system to provide fire flow and adequate water supply is simply stupid.  None of us have any desire to pay for other improvements to another system.  That would be wrong.

Each system acquired would be treated as a separate system from Remington Water District from a financial standpoint.  All cap fees and the majority of user fees would all have to be set aside for each individual water system to cover their own repair and upgrade costs.  A fraction of the user fees would be used to cover our costs of managing the system and the costs associated with maintaining water lines that pass by their system.

The REAL truth to acquiring other water systems:

There is zero value in acquiring other water systems ultimately, for Remington Water District.  The most Remington Water District would achieve from taking over a system, more added users.  But only a fraction of their user fees would be used by Remington Water District.  Example:  If we acquired a system with 50 users and their monthly rate was $50 a month, we might be able to use $5 a month of that user fee to go towards Remington Water District.  The rest would go to pay for their own water usage of their system and to pay back improvements they take on in upgrading their water system.

So what does Remington Water District really gain from that scenario?  $250 a month.  That is not worth the headache and work that Remington Water District put into acquiring the system.   What does the system gain?  Extremely low interest and pay back period that they cannot achieve on their own as a non-government entity.

Remington Water district gets $250 a month in this scenario and helps people improve their situation.  That’s it.

SO WHY DO IT?  To help others and to satisfy Idaho agencies under RAFN that would like to see consolidation.  RAFN is the reason for this consolidation push.