Read “Why The Village of Bear Lake’s Vote Effectively Ends the Sewer Project”

On April 20, 2023, the Village of Bear Lake council voted to pull out of the TLCSA project, effectively ending the proposed sewer system. The STEP Advisory Group thanks village council members Shelly Lynnes, Janine Gee, Rodney Gee, and Daniel Heiss, and all who spoke out about the project over the last five years.

$60,340.80 to $108,379.20 in new taxes per family over 40 years.

This is the latest Two Lakes Collaborative Sewer Authority (TLCSA) per-family 40-year cost estimate of the proposed sewer system around Bear Lake and Onekama. The system will cost $108,379.20 per family over forty years without a USDA grant. Even with a maximum 75% USDA grant, families would still pay a minimum of $60,340.80.

We believe that everyone in the community, regardless of their position on the sewer system, shares the common goals of protecting water quality and promoting reasonable development. We share these goals as well. Before committing to a $58 million project and subsequent monthly fees, however, our communities must answer a few critical questions. Can we afford it? Do we need it? What are we getting? Is it worth the cost?

We invite you to read more about the system and make up your own mind as to whether it is worth the price. Click the links above or scroll below to read about topics pertinent to the project, and to explore the largest repository of source documents on the project available anywhere.

The most comprehensive discussion of the TLCSA project available, from the perspective of the taxpayers who will have to fund the project. What is the history of the project? Is the system environmentally necessary? Will it spur economic development? How complex will it be? Are taxpayer voices being represented on the TLCSA board? These and other issues are addressed in detail.

Click here to explore the most comprehensive repository of source materials about the project available anywhere.

Materials include board minutes from the TLCSA and member municipalities, system maps, engineering reports, Articles of Incorporation, environmental reports on Bear Lake and Portage Lake, studies of capital improvements, information on sewer systems in general, and news articles about the system.

Read “Sewer Facts”

This series of issue-by-issue pamphlets addresses key topics related to the project, from the complexity of the system, to its likely cost, its limitations, and its lack of necessity. Click here to browse “Sewer Facts.”

Take Action

Click here to oppose the project by downloading and sending your objection to your township or village clerk. By law, if the record owners of more than 20% of land in the sewer district object to the project, it cannot proceed.