Sewer Rates Cause Confusion

Sewer rates were discussed at the last Council Meeting as some residents were concerned over the new averaging process. As you may know, an average of the winter months (Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, April, May) sewer usage is being used this summer in order to reduce sewer charges for those resident who sprinkler their lawn. This change was implemented in July of 2008 when Resolution 2008-15 was approved by Council as a solution to our high water rates.

As we now see, it has caused an issue with some residents when their winter usage is higher than their summer usage. For example, Satin and Silks is only open four months out of the year and is being billed an average for sewer when no actual water is being used.

We’re looking into some possible solutions at this time, such as only applying the average if it is less than the actual usage in the summer. However, government moves slow and it will probably be next summer before another change can be implemented. This topic will need to be debated by council and then after a decision is made we must give 30 days notice to the public. Finally, we’ll need to implement new programming calculations into our billing software.

This topic will be addressed in the near future at council. I encourage you to watch the agenda for this topic and attend the meeting to offer your input as to a possible solution. On the flip side, we're also interested in hearing your thoughts on water conservation policies in order to keep usage low. High usage and a growing city can lead to the need for additional infrastructure (water towers, pumps, etc)... and that could lead to higher rates again.