Larsmont Resident, Property Owner and Business Concerns
A. The residents and property owners in the Larsmont area have been involved in various discussions over the years to address sewage treatment related issues. Many people have adequate land area to continue using conforming septic mounds, while others with smaller lots or other geology concerns have to depend upon holding tanks which need regular pumping. Tests and inspections have been conducted on most of the residential and business (resorts, mostly) treatment systems, and a number have failed or may be marginal. Given the estimated cost to construct a pipeline system to serve the Larsmont area and subsequent ongoing service charges, versus the costs of individually maintaining conforming septic systems or installing holding tanks, what are reasonable options for addressing this issue? Knife River's experience in giving up their own treatment plant, and connecting to WLSSD's pipeline, has not turned out to be as affordable as was expected.
B. Many people in Larsmont own lakeshore property or have property on the ridge above four-lane Highway 61 with lake views. In the past few years, the real estate mania has driven the assessed values of our properties so high our real estate taxes are becoming unreasonable. Now, the real estate "bubble" has burst, and we are not seeing reductions in our property values and related reductions in our property taxes. Other similar property owners in the county must be facing the same issue. Can you address this concern?