Explanation
Background: This ordinance authorizes an increase in sanitary sewer service rates for the Division of Sewerage and Drainage.
The Department of Public Utilities entered into contract in 2005 for development of updated rate models for the Division of Sewerage and Drainage and the Division of Water. This was the first major review and rewriting of rate models since 1993. The new models follow accepted design practice and fully account for changes in operations and asset valuations for each division. Customer cost of service was established and cost of service rates established for each customer group.
The proposed rate configuration for 2006 recognizes that sewer charges disproportionately effect lower income groups and continues a Low Income Discount program that discounts participant's sewer commodity portion of their quarterly bill by 15%.
Requested adjustments in rates result in a typical inside city residential sanitary sewer rate increase of 19.09%. When a water increase of 10% and a Stormwater increase of 8.5% are considered the overall impact on a typical residential customer in the City of Columbus is 14.99% and for an outside city residential customer 10.24%.
The proposed rate structure also includes a charge related to each customers contribution to wastewater flow during periods of wet weather. Since wastewater flow during wet weather directly corresponds to impervious area, rates include a charge to recover costs of construction of projects necessary to meet the requirements of the two consent orders that mandate elimination of wet weather flow from Combined Sewer Overflows and Sanitary Sewer Overflows. This charge is assessed based on each property's measured impervious surface area. Each Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) is based on the previously determined Stormwater ERU of 2000 sq ft. Residents are charged at one ERU per residence. All other customers are charged based on measured impervious area divided b...
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