12-SEWER FEESCITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM BRIEFING SHEET
Submittal Date:
Originating Department:
Presented By:
Agenda Item No.:
7/2/ 12
Council Date:
City Manager
John Godwin
12.
7/23/12
RECOMMENDED MOTION:
POLICY ISSUE(S):
Sewer Fees
BACKGROUND:
At the June 11 city council meeting, attorney Bill Flanary, representing the Stripland family, made a brief
presentation during citizens' input in which he requested that the city council formally address his clients'
concerns about the amount of their monthly sewer charges. Mayor Hashmi agreed to that request and as a result
this item was added to the July 9 council agenda.
The Striplands and a few other families connected onto the city's sewer system more than ten years ago in
response to the fact that the city had not made sewer service directly available to their homes. Since that time,
and right up until this month, there have been numerous misunderstandings over this issue. For example, at this
point it appears that the Striplands did at that time communicate with the city, and in fact the design and
connection were reviewed and approved by the then city engineer. The system functioned itne for many years
without incident or problem, to the best of my knowledge.
However, in March of this year, a letter was sent from the city to the Striplands advising them they would be
assessed a monthly sewer charge since they do in fact use the city's sewer service. They contend they should not
be assessed a full fee since they had to pay for some of their own infrastructure, and have indicated to Gene
Anderson that $25.00 per month might be more appropriate than the currently charged monthly average of
$3136.
Although I am empathetic with any citizen who has to take it upon himself to get city sewer service, the fact
remains that monthly sewer bills are not based on infrastructure investments, but on ongoing operating and
maintenance costs. Each year the city contracts with a rate setting firm that calculates what water and sewer rates
need to be to pay actual costs from the previous fiscal year. When the council approved the recent sewer rate
increase, for example, no portion of that rate increase was to pay for infrastructure costs associated with
individual service lines or connections. In other words, however we got here I have found no evidence to suggest
we should offer a lower monthly usage rate than assessed to all other residential users in the city.
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION:
EXHIBITS:
ACTION:
BUDGET INFO:
❑ Financial Report ~ Minute Order
Expense
$
❑ Department Report ❑ Resolution
Budgeted Amt.
$
❑ Presentation ❑ Ordinance
y'I'D Actual
$
❑ P
bli
H
i
u
ear
c
ng ❑ Other
Acct. Name
Acct. Number
FISCAL NOTES:
City of Paris Revised 6/20/12
51