LOID to join suit challenging Lewiston's storm water fee

The Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District will join three other public entities in a lawsuit challenging the city of Lewiston's storm water fee.

The LOID board voted unanimously Wednesday night to go forward with Nez Perce County, the Port of Lewiston and the Lewiston School District.

Lewiston implemented the fee almost a year ago. It started out at $3 a month per equivalent residential unit and was planned to go to $4.75 on Oct. 1 and $6 on Oct. 1, 2010. Instead, the city council voted to hold it at $3, partly because of the present economic conditions, but also because of the challenges.

LOID's annual bill at the $3 rate is about $3,000, Finance Officer JoAnn Cole-Hansen said Wednesday.

Opponents claim it is a tax and should have been put to a vote of residents. City officials say it is a fee that will allow work to clean up runoff and meet federal mandates regarding keeping contaminants out of waters leading to the Snake and Clearwater rivers.

In other business:

- LOID was unsuccessful in obtaining a $2.5 million matching grant to install meters on irrigation water lines, Cole-Hansen said. Of 13 grants, one went to southern Idaho and eight to California, she said.

If additional stimulus money is made available, the district likely will apply again, she said.