New User Access Fee Information
Q: How is this different from the Capital Reserve Fee?
The Capital Reserve Fee intent is to fund long-term infrastructure improvements and deferred maintenance needs.
The new User Access Fee is designed to support the real cost of delivering water, including:
o Staffing
o Billing and administration
o Operations and Maintenance
o Aquatic Nuisance Species Management
o Defending and protecting your water rights
through such action as supporting Shoshone Permanency and supporting Colorado in the negotiations for the Post-2026 Interim Guidelines for the Colorado River Compact
Q: How did you decide on this fee?
For several years, the Association has been carefully considering how to remain financially solvent as the community it serves rapidly develops. This fee allows for the Association to more equitably charge each individual end user for service. A $50 fee was chosen by the board of directors because it is the minimum amount that would allow the Association to continue to provide service.
For example, Joe Farmer has 40 Class 1 acres. He is one end user that GVWUA provides service to. If his property is subdivided into 80 homes, GVWUA has 79 new end users to provide service to. To continue to provide the same level of service and account for the increased cost of doing business, the GVWUA system needs to be modernized.
Q: How is this different than the Grand Valley Drainage District fee?
The Drainage District is a special district and did not follow legal precedence to institute a user fee as required under the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR). GVWUA is not a special district and is not governmental or quasi-governmental and our Board has the authority to implement fees and rate increases.
Q: What do you mean by “unique tax parcel”?
Each tax parcel in the Association has a person or entity (such as a Trust) attached to it for tax purposes. Some people own more than one tax parcel.
For example, if Jane Doe owns 5 parcels of agricultural or undeveloped land, but her name is on the tax parcel for four of them, and a family trust is listed on the fifth, she will pay two User Access Fees. One for the four parcels in her name ($50) and one for the one parcel under her family Trust ($50).
Q: Will you just keep tacking on fees going forward?
Water delivery requires real infrastructure and people—properly funding these needs helps us keep service reliable and fair, so costs for our account holders will likely rise in the future, especially if new issues come up. For example, GVWUA recently had to start addressing the Zebra Mussel, which is an Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS), a new added cost to management and maintenance in the system.
GVWUA is committed to using your fees to protect your water rights through responsible planning and good stewardship as we adapt to our community’s growth and changing user needs. The fees we collect need to be able to keep up with the cost of doing business to deliver your water rights.
Q: Why are subdivisions’ rates being raised?
This User Access Fee is not a rate hike. The water assessment is not being increased currently.
Some subdivisions and HOAs have recently seen their rates rise as the Association has corrected billing errors where developed properties were mistakenly billed at the agricultural water rate instead of the developed subdivision rate. That was not a new charge, but a correction of a billing error. It is a separate issue from this User Access Fee.
Q: Are Subdivisions paying a higher water rate than the agricultural land rate?
Yes. Once agricultural property is split and the land classification is changed to residential, your HOA or Subdivision are billed at the developed rate for water. Our rate sheet is available on our website.
Q: I live in a subdivision. Who do I contact with specific questions about my water bill?
GVWUA does not determine how your subdivision or HOA passes the User Access Fee or cost for water on to you. Your subdivision or HOA Account Representative receives an invoice from GVWUA and then they determine how they charge you for water.
Please contact your subdivision or HOA representative to discuss what your fees cover.
Questions & Answers
Still have questions?
Feel free to contact us today with any remaining questions.
Questions & Answers
Q: How is this different from the Capital Reserve Fee?
The Capital Reserve Fee intent is to fund long-term infrastructure improvements and deferred maintenance needs.
The new User Access Fee is designed to support the real cost of delivering water, including:
o Staffing
o Billing and administration
o Operations and Maintenance
o Aquatic Nuisance Species Management
o Defending and protecting your water rights
through such action as supporting Shoshone Permanency and supporting Colorado in the negotiations for the Post-2026 Interim Guidelines for the Colorado River Compact
Q: How did you decide on this fee?
For several years, the Association has been carefully considering how to remain financially solvent as the community it serves rapidly develops. This fee allows for the Association to more equitably charge each individual end user for service. A $50 fee was chosen by the board of directors because it is the minimum amount that would allow the Association to continue to provide service.
For example, Joe Farmer has 40 Class 1 acres. He is one end user that GVWUA provides service to. If his property is subdivided into 80 homes, GVWUA has 79 new end users to provide service to. To continue to provide the same level of service and account for the increased cost of doing business, the GVWUA system needs to be modernized.
Q: How is this different than the Grand Valley Drainage District fee?
The Drainage District is a special district and did not follow legal precedence to institute a user fee as required under the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR). GVWUA is not a special district and is not governmental or quasi-governmental and our Board has the authority to implement fees and rate increases.
Q: What do you mean by “unique tax parcel”?
Each tax parcel in the Association has a person or entity (such as a Trust) attached to it for tax purposes. Some people own more than one tax parcel.
For example, if Jane Doe owns 5 parcels of agricultural or undeveloped land, but her name is on the tax parcel for four of them, and a family trust is listed on the fifth, she will pay two User Access Fees. One for the four parcels in her name ($50) and one for the one parcel under her family Trust ($50).
Q: Will you just keep tacking on fees going forward?
Water delivery requires real infrastructure and people—properly funding these needs helps us keep service reliable and fair, so costs for our account holders will likely rise in the future, especially if new issues come up. For example, GVWUA recently had to start addressing the Zebra Mussel, which is an Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS), a new added cost to management and maintenance in the system.
GVWUA is committed to using your fees to protect your water rights through responsible planning and good stewardship as we adapt to our community’s growth and changing user needs. The fees we collect need to be able to keep up with the cost of doing business to deliver your water rights.
Q: Why are subdivisions’ rates being raised?
This User Access Fee is not a rate hike. The water assessment is not being increased currently.
Some subdivisions and HOAs have recently seen their rates rise as the Association has corrected billing errors where developed properties were mistakenly billed at the agricultural water rate instead of the developed subdivision rate. That was not a new charge, but a correction of a billing error. It is a separate issue from this User Access Fee.
Q: Are Subdivisions paying a higher water rate than the agricultural land rate?
Yes. Once agricultural property is split and the land classification is changed to residential, your HOA or Subdivision are billed at the developed rate for water. Our rate sheet is available on our website.
Q: I live in a subdivision. Who do I contact with specific questions about my water bill?
GVWUA does not determine how your subdivision or HOA passes the User Access Fee or cost for water on to you. Your subdivision or HOA Account Representative receives an invoice from GVWUA and then they determine how they charge you for water.
Please contact your subdivision or HOA representative to discuss what your fees cover.
Still have questions?
Feel free to contact us today with any remaining questions.