Happy December Town of Hayden from the Town Council. As the year comes to a close we wanted to send out a big “THANK YOU” to all who live in our area and make this a special place. Over the last eight years so much has been accomplished and it would not be possible without you. From those that live in Town proper to those that live on the COG and the outskirts but bring your kids to school here; we appreciate you and wish you a happy season.
 
Two things we would like everyone to know as we close out the year.
 
Town History, Land Use, Infrastructure, and Project Facts Meeting

The Town will hold a community meeting for “Q&A” and facts updates where interested folks can come ask questions related to Town projects, land use, history of the Town, and infrastructure to get the facts from the source of the information. The meeting will be on December 16th, 2024 at 6pm at the Hayden Center (495 West Jefferson Ave, Hayden, CO 81639.) The following will be covered:

• History of Land Use 1960 to Today and Town Projects: This presentation will answer projects questions, current master plan, former master plans, other Town guiding documents, Town annexation history, and some questions about current approved developments that have already gone through the process. It will also answer some key questions that have been popping up about boards and commissions and Council structure.

• Land Use Process: This presentation will cover a typical subdivision process per the development code but try to do it in a way that simplify’ s it. We will also cover what was approved at the Moonlit proposed development (Deepe Property) via the sketch plan.

• Infrastructure: This presentation will cover Town infrastructure question as they relate to its history, age, condition, and what approved permits we have from the State at our water and sewer system (how many gallons per day) we can produce/treat.

A Q&A session will follow these three presentations. Total time will be 45 minutes for staff presentations and 45 minutes for Q&A from the public. Come get the facts and be informed. Next year we plan on holding one of these meetings (in a shorter time frame) once every two months or as needed.
 
Rate Increases Water and Sewer
 
In 2017 the Town conducted a water and sewer rate study to see what rates needed to be without a subsidy from the general fund. Key questions were: 1. What should rates be to operate the system without subsidy, 2. What should rates be to save money for future capital investment in that system. The Town had not raised its rates for quite a while (nobody could remember the last time rates had gone up). The results of the study indicated that the Town needed to raise its rates by 100%+ in 2018 as it was that far behind in updating its infrastructure and then at a minimum stay pace with inflation and plan for future investment rate increases; this was the no growth scenario. The Town raised rates by 22% in 2018 and since that time has raised rates a total of 9% over 7 years. It has also acquired over 10 million in grant funding to help update the system. From 2018 to today costs have risen over 30%.  
 
To get the Town back on track and plan for the future the Town Council will be increasing water and sewer rates effective January 2025. The totals below is for a household only and not commercial:

• Water Base Rate: Increase of $8.00 per month

• Sewer Base Rate: Increase of $3.50 per month

• Usage: Varies, but average user in the winter would see a $2.10 per month increase.

• Paper Fee: In an effort to be efficient and keep our costs low the Town will be move away from paper billing. You will still have the option of a paper bill, but there will be a “paper bill fee” of $3.50. This will take effect March 1, 2025 to give folks time to transition. $3.50 just covers the time for staff to process bills on paper.

• All normal discounts for seniors and disabled still apply.

 
The Council realizes that rate increases are never looked at positively, but the Town has to at least cover its costs and plan to continue delivering great water and sewer service. We can’t rely on growth to help cover those costs as you never know what could happen. We thank you for your understanding.