Sewer fees for households and businesses tied into the Mosca Wastewater Treatment system will increase in 2024 under a new rate plan adopted by the Alamosa County Commissioners on Wednesday.
The county commissioners signaled back in May that they would need to hike rates to recover the costs tied to operating the Mosca plant which opened in 2018. Alamosa County Commission Chair Lori Laske said it was a problem she and her colleagues inherited and were looking to put the wastewater treatment plant on a self-sustaining course.
“It’s not that the costs are going up, it’s that we’re finally remedying the situation,” said Commissioner Vern Heersink.
The new sewer rate structure plan also established proposed fees that would increase every two years into 2030, although future county commissions could change the proposed fees for 2026, 2028 and 2030, said Alamosa County Attorney Jason Kelly.
The outline of fees was intended to show Alamosa County on a gradual recovery of its costs to operate and maintain the treatment plant and the county commissioners’ desire to incrementally raise rates through a series of fee hikes.
Residents who attended Wednesday’s public hearing struggled to understand why the fees had to increase so much and told the commissioners they would have a hard time paying the higher rates because they lived on fixed incomes. Resident rates would go to $50 from $40 per month beginning in 2024, while commercial rates vary based on their use.
Mosca has been working to grow the number of businesses and visitors to the town. Dune Valley Distillery, Valley Roots Food Hub, White Rock Processing, Mosca Pit Stop, Ruby Rose eatery all are in the unincorporated area of Alamosa County.
What’s behind fee increase: County Attorney Jason Kelly provided the history behind Mosca’s old sewage system failing and the need for a new wastewater treatment plant for the community. Alamosa County received a loan from the USDA and a grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs to help build the plant under the conditions that user fees from residents and businesses would cover both the operating debt and operating costs.
That hasn’t been happening, said Alamosa County planner Richard Hubler, who was tasked by the county commissioners to develop a fee structure that would meet Alamosa County’s expenses to operate the plant.
“The goal and the statutory structure is that the system basically pays for itself,” Kelly said.
See details of the new Mosca Wastewater Treatment rates adopted by the county commissioners HERE.