PORT ANGELES — The three Clallam County commissioners unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding between the county and the Flaura’s Acres homeowners’ association for a potential utility local improvement district.
Funds derived from the utility local improvement district (ULID) would be used to help update the neighborhood’s failing septic system.
Flaura’s Acres is a 54-home residential neighborhood that is located within the geographical boundaries of Sequim, although it is not annexed into the city.
Recent septic system failures have led the homeowners’ association (HOA) to seek funding to update the system.
In September, the county agreed to apply for funding from the state Department of Ecology on behalf of the HOA, which was not eligible to apply for the funding on its own.
Funding from Ecology could come in the form of a grant or a joint grant and loan.
The offer list will come out in mid-January.
“We don’t know what that will be until they tell us,” county analyst Angi Klahn said.
To ensure that HOA, and not the county, is on the line to fund the loan portion or additional expenses, the MOU spells out that a Utility Local Improvement District (ULID) will be established, if needed.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) “is just basically laying out the understanding of what is going on at this point,” Klahn said.
If a ULID is needed, Klahn said Sequim would collect the money on utility payments and forward it to the county.
Clallam County administrator Todd Mielke said a local improvement district (LID) may be preferable to a ULID. If that is the case, the MOU would simply be amended.
“This MOU doesn’t really lock either side into anything yet,” commissioner Mike French said.
In addition to the Ecology funding, other funding might be available to cover sewer costs as well as the cost of updating the area’s water system.
“If things work out that way, then there would not be the need for any kind of improvement district, but that just remains to be seen,” Commissioner Mark Ozias said.
If the sewer, water and roads are all updated, then Flaura’s Acres would be eligible for annexation into Sequim, according to prior reporting.
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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
