Stockton Town Council members aim to tackle infrastructure upgrades, emergency plans and an annexation policy for the fast-growing town in 2008.

Councilwoman Teresa Powell and Councilman Donnie West -- both of whom are newly elected -- said they are excited for the opportunity to push the improvements on behalf of residents.

"I do really like the residents of this town and feel honored that they have placed their trust in my decision making," Powell said. "It is my goal to make sure that their voices and concerns are heard and acted upon."

Completion of a well this year in Stockton is a top priority. Councilman David Durtschi said the well, which will provide a secondary water source to the town, was originally slotted for completion before the spring runoff. However, because of problems with drilling, that timetable has been pushed back.

The well will go down 650 feet, Durtschi said, though it has only been drilled to about 380 feet at present. It will be 15 inches in diameter.

"It could conceivably give us enough water for the whole town, if our main water source -- which is the runoff down the canyon -- were to fail on us," he said.

Powell, who spent four years on the town's Planning and Zoning Board, said it's been about two years since the well's conception and she's also hoping it's completed this year.

"The single source of water that we have at this point could be in jeopardy depending on Mother Nature in the spring with snowmelt and runoff," Powell said.

West said getting the well finished is his top priority. In addition, he will push to get some of the town's old, outdated equipment upgraded. He'd also like to see an emergency plan put in place for the residents of Stockton.

"Recently we had the power outage [during a severe windstorm Jan. 4], and in the past we've had water shortages, so I'd like to have something in place to make sure that the townspeople are OK and that any problems they may face can be met," he said.

Durtschi said he thinks the biggest issue that many citizens have concerns about, besides water, is the town's annexation policy.

"We have a policy, but it's not workable to accept annexations," he said. "If someone wants to annex into our town, we have to have more stringent guidelines than what we currently have."

Durtschi would like to make sure that when annexation requests come in the town knows the exact logistics of any new development -- i.e., lot sizes, whether curb and gutter are present, and zoning designations.

"That's a big issue because we try to keep the rural atmosphere around Stockton, and yet there are some that want to be annexed in that would change the whole nature of our town," Durtschi said.

Powell said she would also like to see some progress toward a new sewer system and sewage treatment plant. Currently, the town relies on septic systems.

"The biggest problem as far as the septic tanks and leach fields would be aimed at the older, smaller, undersized lots that have been absorbing waste for a very long time," she said. "We need to be planning on a system in case the ground just cannot absorb it anymore."

She said a sewer system would be beneficial to keep pace with future growth.

"A sewer system would also enable the town to have some type of growth if the citizens decide that is the direction they would like to go," she said.

Sarah Miley: swest@tooeletranscript.com