Lisa Pemberton, writer for TheOlympian writes:
“About 53,000 homes in Thurston County are on septic systems, and those property owners could soon face a new annual fee.
On Tuesday evening, in their role as the Board of Health, the Thurston County commissioners voted 2-1 to approve updates to the county’s on-site septic system management plan.
Commissioners Cathy Wolfe and Sandra Romero voted in support of the plan. Commissioner Bud Blake voted against it.”
And goes on to report:
“The plan asks us to enforce septic system permit requirements, including monitoring and maintenance and working to find and repair failing septic systems,” Starry told the Board of Health.
The plan includes a tiered fee structure that ranges from $22 to $66 a year, depending on the location of the septic system and documented water-quality problems in the area. In some cases, certain fees that now are associated with septic tanks in the county would be canceled out if the new fee structure is adopted, Starry said.
The Board of Health voted 2-1, with Blake voting nay, to schedule a public hearing on the proposed fees at 6 p.m. Dec. 6.
UPDATE: The public hearing will take place at the County Commissioners’ courtroom
