Department of Utilities
Reference: 27J MOU Regarding Water Fees
To: Mayor Gregory Mills and Members of City Council
Through: Michael P. Martinez, City Manager
Prepared By: Scott Olsen, Director of Utilities
Date Prepared: January 20, 2026
PURPOSE
Requesting City Council's approval of a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the City and 27J School District (27J) regarding water fees.
BACKGROUND
The City of Brighton leases consumable water to 27J to augment a well they utilize for irrigation at Prairie View Middle and High Schools. For the years 2023-2025, the City failed to provide invoices to the District for this consumable water per an agreement, so 27J did not pay for this water.
In addition to the above, the City of Brighton provides water, wastewater and storm drainage utility services to several 27J School District facilities, including Overland Trail Middle School (OTMS). For approximately three years, a faulty water meter was incorrectly recording water usage at OTMS. Upon the City becoming aware of this issue, bills for estimated usage for this time period were sent to 27J. It is typical for the City of Brighton, and other service providers in the utility sector, to estimate usage for up to three years based on available information and recover costs for service during meter interruptions. The estimated usage at OTMS resulted in a bill for usage fees of $98,833.84.
At the time this estimated bill for OTMS water usage was sent to 27J, 27J requested the City perform an audit of all 27J utility accounts. The City performed this audit and discovered two, two-inch water service connections that were unmetered and unbilled. These two services were located at concession stands at Brighton High School and Prairie View High School. Since the services had not been metered, no information was available to estimate past water usage. However, bills were generated for the fixed fees charged to all wate...
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