Century To Discuss Increased Water, Sewer Rates, More Fees

November 2, 2009

The Town of Century will hold a workshop meeting at 6:00 tonight to further discuss a rate study that recommends water and sewer rate increases for most customers and new fees for future customers.

secoy.jpgThe council will meet with William Secoy from the Florida Rural Water Association, the authors of the rate study. The council previously met with Secoy back in August, and they were left with as many questions as they had answers.

Under the recommended rate structure, a small business could see their water and sewer bill more than double, and that’s something Council President Ann Brooks does not favor.

“I would not have a problem paying for usage, but that is not what is going on here,” Brooks said at the August meeting. She stated her small business, an accounting firm, uses between 600 and 900 gallons of water per month. Under the proposed rate structure, her minimum monthly bill would jump from $21 to $45.45.  “I have a real problem raising our commercial rate over 100 percent for water and sewer.”

“We have a lot of poor people and a lot of people living on a fixed income,” Brooks said in August of the proposed residential increase and higher minimum bills. “Let people pay for what they use.”

At that August meeting, the council instructed Secoy to take a closer look at different usage levels among the town’s water and sewer customers, especially commercial, and return with a second recommendation. He is expected to present that second recommendation tonight.

The typical residential water bill for a customer using 3,000 gallons per month would increase from $12.45 to $15.95 if the town followed the recommendations in the study from the Florida Rural Water Association. The new $15.95 minimum charge would include 3,000 gallons; the current minimum water bill is $9 for 1,500 gallons.

Commercial customers would see their minimum jump from $9 for 1,500 gallons to $19.95 for 3,000 gallons.

Both commercial and residential customers would see an increase per 1,000 gallons over the 3,000 minimum to $2.78 to $3.16 per 1,000 gallons. The current additional charge per 1,000 gallons is $2.27. Institutions and churches would pay the residential rate.

Sewage rates would also increase if the water association proposal were to be approved by the town.

The current sewage rate is $13 for the first 6,000 gallons and $3.50 per additional $1,000 gallons for residential and commercial customers. For the first 3,000 gallons, the recommended rate is $12 for residential customers and $25.50 for commercial customers. Each additional 1,000 gallons of sewage would cost $3.

Under the rate proposal, a family using 8,000 gallons of water per month would see their water bill increase from $23.75 to $30.13, and they would see their sewage bill increase from $20 to $27. The total monthly increase for that family would be $13.38, or $160.56 per year.

waterbill.jpgA business using an average of 8,000 gallons per month would see their water bill jump from $23.75 to $34.13 and a sewage increase from $20 to $40.50. The total annual increase would be $370.56.

The Florida Rural Water Association proposal recommends that the town also charge a “capacity” fee for new hookups, in addition to the $125 water connection fee and $1,000 sewage impact fee currently charged. The study does not offer a specific recommendation on the amount of the new fee. Secoy said that a typical capacity fee is from a several hundred to a few thousand dollars.

Secoy said a connection fee should be in the neighborhood of  $350 to $750 for a new meter. Customers that were establishing service at a location where a meter is already installed would not pay a connection fee. Capacity fees could not be waived, but connection fees could be waived as part of a financial incentive package for a new business, Secoy told the council.

The Town of Century has not increased water or sewage rates since 1995. The water association recommends that the town make yearly rate increases based upon the consumer price index.

The water and sewer rate special meeting will take place at 6:00 tonight at Century City Hall. A regular town council meeting will follow at 7:00 — a meeting at which the council could vote on any rates increases.

Comments

One Response to “Century To Discuss Increased Water, Sewer Rates, More Fees”

  1. bmb on November 2nd, 2009 7:24 am

    Why ask for expert advice and recommendations if you won’t listen and make changes. Your alternative could be like the City of Prichard, bankruptcy, think about that. No body wants to hurt the old or the people with REAL disabilities, public service is supposed to be fair, equal, and viable, you don’t use good judgement and you open yourself up for take over and they won’t care about anything but profit.

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