 |
|||||||
|
|
ABOUT UTILITY RATES
See full list of utility rates
Your utility bill now reflects your new sewer rate. Sewer charges are calculated based on your winter water use and is updated each spring. The City uses your winter water use to calculate sewer rates so as not to charge you for water used in summer for irrigation, which does not impact sewers.
The 2011 water rate base rate is $12.30 (for a ¾” meter) and the sewer service minimum rate at $41.27 for a single-family residence. There is no increase for the storm drainage utility. This is a 16% increase for water and 9.75% increase for sewer.
Why do we need increases now? Each utility—water, sewer and storm—operates as its own individual business. Each utility gets money coming in from rate payers and system development charges (when someone builds a new building), and money goes out to fund the capital needs and operating expenses required to provide each service. Since the last rate study in 2004, the utilities, especially water, were not covering their own costs.
Like any business or household budget, when costs are higher than the money coming in, something has to change. The City contracted with FCS Group in February 2010 to tell us what needed to change in order to have income matching expenses, which is called a rate study. Their results showed that the City needed to increase rates for water by 24%, sewer by 19% and nothing for storm. By reducing a few capital projects and using a smoothing approach over several years, the City was able to reduce the 24% increase to 16%. This means future increases are likely, but the City will update the study in the fall of 2012. Hopefully, factors will change so that less increases are necessary in the future.
CONTACT US Å 253-299-5541 * bethannew@ci.sumner.wa.us |
|
|
|
Home
|
Living |
Working |
Visiting |
Business |
Government
|
Public Safety
|
Contact Us |
Calendar |
