(9/25) Joe Ceci of Fox and Associates, a Professional Civil Engineering, Surveying, and Land Planning Firm, presented to the Town Council a request to reduce the tap fees for the Christ Community Church's 10,500 square foot addition, which will add 198 seats to the sanctuary and additional classrooms.

According to Ceci, the Church is looking at $164,000 in water and sewer tap fees, which is 8% of their total construction budget. "Their water usage, compared to a lot of other places, is minimal," he said. Ceci pointed out that the Church, as a non-profit, will be using donations and loans to build the addition, so they felt the number was excessive.

When Ceci compared the fees for Emmitsburg to other local municipalities, he discovered a markable difference. For a church construction project comparable in size and purpose in Thurmont, you would pay $39,705, in the City of Frederick $32,000 and in Frederick County $25,000.

Although Thurmont and the City of Frederick use a different formula for their calculations (they use Equivalent Dwelling Units – EDUs – and Emmitsburg and the County use Fixture Units), the results net similar values. The difference is Emmitsburg is the only one that does not give "discounts" dependent on the purpose of the building. Ceci shared his calculations with the Council, showing that if Emmitsburg applied their fees with the County’s adjustments for use, the fee would be $25,402.

Another option for the Church is to build the sanctuary and frame out the classrooms, allowing them to develop them later to save money. However, if the classrooms are in the plans during approval, the Church will have to pay the tap fees in full anyway.

Although sympathetic, Commissioner Amy Pollitt pointed out the difficulty in comparing other municipalities to Emmitsburg when the Town’s water plant is considerably newer with more advanced technology. She also pointed out the recent 36% water rate increase that residents were not happy with.

Commissioner Tim O'Donnell stated that the Town is "looking at the future." "Other municipalities are going to be profoundly increasing their rates in order to address their aged systems, so I think we are more aligned with that future reality," he said.

Mayor Frank Davis felt that the need for adjustments based upon a building’s use was something the Council should look into. "One size doesn’t fit all," he said. Commissioner Valerie Turnquist agreed, saying she felt the fees were "excessive" and something should be done.

Unfortunately for the Christ Community Church, nothing in the Town Code permits the Council to decrease the fees. Since the Fixture Units are based on what building codes say is needed for a structure of that size, a code change would be required and that is a long process requiring multiple workshops and public hearings.

Town Attorney Clark Adams made sure the Council understood that they would not be able to do a "one off thing" for this church. "What we are really talking about is a comprehensive change to how you calculate your rates," he said.

The Council was unable to make a decision at this meeting, however they plan to discuss how the fees are calculated at the next workshop. Unfortunately for The Christ Community Church, they will have to wait for a code change to get a reduction in fees or accept what they have been given.