We use our roads, sewer lines, and storm drains every day, but do we ever really think about them? Most of that infrastructure was paid for by developers in impact fees on new construction. But when it all wears out, the replacement cost falls to us. So, will you still love it when it’s 64?
More importantly, 20th century philosopher McCartney asked two other pivotal questions. Will you still need it? Will you still feed it? The answers are obvious, except for the last one: Will you still “feed” it? Replacing our infrastructure will be expensive.
Fortunately, most of it is still relatively young. We shouldn’t see the need for significant replacements for another twenty years, maybe longer. But that doesn’t mean we should adopt the J. Wellington Wimpy philosophy; I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. It’s a stretch to say we are “enjoying” our sewer lines today, but we are using them every day, and they are slowly wearing out.
I believe it’s our responsibility as a city, as a community, to figure out what our long-term infrastructure needs are and plan for replacement. We have not been doing that, and we’re not alone. I believe few if any cities in the state have taken that leap. To paraphrase, let’s not kick the road down the road.
The good news is, we are taking the first step. I have been working with city staff to figure out how much infrastructure we have, how long it will last, and what it will cost to replace. I’ve been at it for a little over a month and it will take at least a few more months to figure everything out.
But here’s a preliminary look at where we’re at. We need to set aside $3.5 million a year starting now to replace our roads, sewer lines, and storm drains when they wear out. The final numbers will probably be higher.
To put that in perspective, Ivins expects to collect a little more than $4 million dollars in the next year from property, sales, and use taxes and all of that money (and more) is needed just for the normal day-to-day operation of the city.
We have four options for dealing with our infrastructure. We can (1) do nothing, (2) do something, (3) do everything, or (4) just do the math so everyone knows what’s ahead. Doing nothing is what we’ve been doing but it’s not a good option.
I believe that prioritizing infrastructure replacement is critical to the long-term sustainability and livability of our community. But it’s expensive. So, help me out. What option do we choose and how do we get there? This is a tough issue. I really need your input. Individually we are smart. Together, as a community, we are brilliant.
Please share your comments on this topic and tell me about
other Ivins issues I have not addressed in recent posts.
Email me at Mike@MikeScott4Ivins.com.
Since the Council continues to approve just about all development and zone change requests, its members have a responsibility to ensure that the City’s infrastructure, impacted by that development, remains intact. They need to show some leadership regarding tax increases. We don’t want our streets to fill with potholes, for example. Increasing property taxes seems unavoidable after so many years without an increase. But people need to see the numbers and need to know what exactly the City is responsible for maintaining.
Will the additional taxes from BDR help the city in the future by increasing our tax base and collections from the tourism? (Response: Yes, the sales and room tax revenue will help. I’m trying to get a reasonable estimate of what we might expect.)