Dateline: November 27, 2008

City looks to change utility fee

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen will review proposed changes to the city’s sewer rates during next Tuesday’s meeting.

The city set new rates this fall; but City Administrator John Webb said when the new flat rates were entered into the computer, it soon became clear that the fees were not fair to all customers.

Some customers were getting “special” rates and “special special” rates, Webb told aldermen at last Tuesday’s meeting.

The new flat rate of $36, for example, was a shock to some commercial customers who had been paying only $15 per month.

“We have a rate of $36 for commercial accounts that is the same regardless of usage,” Webb told the aldermen. “That’s not fair. It’s not proportionate to what’s being used.”

The new sewage rates under consideration are based on water consumption for both residential and commercial accounts.

“If you use more water, you should pay more for sewer,” Webb said.

If approved, commercial accounts will have a sewer flat rate of $25 per month for the first 2,000 gallons of water used with a cost of $2.25 for each additional thousand gallons. The residential accounts will have a flat rate of $14.30 for the first 2,000 gallons and $2.25 for each additional 1,000.

Webb said he’s also willing to take an additional step to lessen the impact of the new usage rates by averaging each account’s usage in January, February, and March to set the rate for the fiscal year, which runs from October 1 to September 30.