Water service - part 1

We're outside of city limits, but within the city's water service area. It's nice to have the elbow room of county rules, but the convenience of city water.

The city requires a building permit from the county before they'' put in water on a parcel. They have a fixed amount of water available, and don't want to promise it to someone who won't use it.

I am far from being ready to build a house, but someone suggested I put in an "RV pad". This would have the standard utilities: water, septic, electricity, and phone. I asked the city if this was OK and they seemed confused at first, and finally said "it's OK with us if it's OK with the county." I asked the county, and they said "do what you want".

I finally got the city to give me something concrete: I needed a letter from the county's building department and environmental health department saying this was OK. I had to give them a copy of my septic permit.

Hooking up to water is expensive. $2500 System Development Charge, $1300 water connection fee, $4500 latecomer's fee (this goes to my neighbor who paid to extend the water main to our neighboorhood), and misc fees, total $9300. It's possible that a well might be cheaper, but it could also be much more expensive if it has to be deep, and this is much more convenient.

If I remove the RV from the site in the future, they will take away the water meter.  How does this work - can I drive it to fill the propane tank? Can I take a weekend (or a month) vacation? Should I find out now or quietly do what I want and see what happens? Better to ask permission or forgiveness? Maybe if I leave on a trip they'll never notice. Maybe they will notice, and make me pay a bunch to have it hooked up again.

Now we wait while they churn through their paperwork, and hopefully they'll come out and put in a water meter sometime soon. What luxury!