City of Kuna raises irrigation rates

It will cost the typical Kuna homeowner $89 per year for pressurized irrigation this year.
That’s up 8.5 percent from $82 last year.
Owners of vacant lots, though, will pay significantly less: $33 per 10,000-square-foot lot, down from $82.
Kuna City Council members voted unanimously last week to approve a new pressurized irrigation schedule citywide:
Size Occupied Vacant Gravity
10,000sf lot $89 $33 $33
12,000sf lot $93 $34.95 $34.95
21,000sf lot $111 $44.66 $44.66
The change in fees appears to have been in an effort to be fairer to owners of vacant lots.
In the past, the city had charged owners of vacant lots the same amount as owners of occupied lots.
During a City Council meeting on Jan. 17, Kuna Mayor Greg Nelson made mention of a developer unhappy with the situation. Reference was made to a letter from the developer and potential litigation over the issue. City engineer Gordon Law declined to provide a copy of the letter after the meeting.
City Council member Doug Hoiland said during the meeting that in boom times, developers would pay the full assessment then pass along the assessment to the buyer of a lot. However, as times have slowed and lots are sitting vacant for multiple years, it wasn’t fair to charge the full amount to a landowner who is not even using the water.