After an Invermere resident paid into the district’s sewer line for 24 years only to discover this past summer she was never even connected, District of Invermere (DOI) council voted unanimously to grant her request that the DOI pay for connecting the sewer line to her property, provided she doesn’t pursue the district to recover any costs.

The issue was first brought to council’s attention at a November 13 council meeting, and on November 27 council voted to connect Burdette Coates Storey’s property, located at 1A Avenue in Invermere, to the town sewer line and remove her nearby septic system.

Storey had petitioned council to connect her and cover the costs, and in exchange she promised not to seek recovery of the fees she had paid over the previous 24 years.

After gathering further information following the November 13 council meeting, DOI Chief Administrative Officer Chris Prosser determined she had paid $6,581.01 over the 24 years, and that the solution of connecting her to the system would cost about $5,000.

Mayor Gerry Taft and councillors Greg Anderson and Paul Denchuk all mentioned an element of “fairness” in reaching their decision, while councillor Spring Hawes noted she felt it was a reasonable request on Storey’s behalf.