CALABASAS : Sewer System Costs May Be Shared

About $600,000 in unforeseen costs from the construction of a Calabasas Highlands sewer system may be shared by homeowners and the county, a spokesman for Supervisor Ed Edelman said Friday.

But the owners of about 200 lots in the hillside area may oppose the plan, which would cost them an average $1,500 apiece if the bill were split equally. Edelman’s staff is still negotiating the matter with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, said Edelman spokesman Joel Bellman.

Many homeowners were shocked last month when the department notified them that an extra $600,000 would be tacked onto the original $2.7-million estimate for the required sewers, and that more surcharges might be on the way, said Debbie Shook, president of the Calabasas Highlanders Homeowners Assn.

“They gave us an estimate, which we agreed to, and now they’re coming back and asking us to cover for their mistakes and miscalculations,” Shook said. “We think this is an unreasonable increase.”

But Bellman said the residents should not expect the county to pay for most or all of the additional costs of the project, which will provide sewers in an area where, in many places, the water table is too high for the ground to support septic tanks.

Bellman said the original estimate was too low because contractors miscalculated the cost of working on the rough hillside terrain. But the landowners are still obliged to pay, and more fees may still be added, he said.

“The homeowners need to understand that the costs are incurred for the sake of doing this project right,” Bellman said. “To the extent that it is possible, we are trying to minimize the impact on these homeowners. But any costs that are absorbed by the (public works) department eventually impact all the taxpayers in the county.”

Shook said the homeowners appreciate the role Edelman’s staff has played in the negotiations. But she said she was almost certain the homeowners will fight the compromise plan.

Edelman probably will approve a plan to share at least the first round of surcharges later this month, Bellman said. The Board of Supervisors will then schedule a public hearing on the matter.