Town of Lansing

LANSING APPROVES WATER DISTRICT:

A controversial water district in Lansing will be built, following Monday's special election in which district voters overwhelmingly approved the project. There were 96 eligible voters, and of that number, 81 turned out to vote. The vote was 60 in favor of the district and 20 against, with the 81st vote being contested.

But still, it was a three-to one-margin on an issue that will have serious economic impacts on the residents of the district. The request for the creation of a water district came back in the fall. After some studying, the town board approved the request, but that decision was challenged to a permissive referendum. Some residents within the district expressed concern about the costs of the water district. The total cost of the project is estimated at $770,000. The impact on homeowners would be a cost of almost $1,000 per year. Preliminary cost estimates indicated there would be a charge of $592 per year over a 30 year period for all properties located within the district, and an additional cost of several hundred dollars for the operating and maintenance fees.