Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
2 <br />is actually sent to Mebane. Currently, Mebane charges three fees to new sewer customers. If <br />there is no tap, Mebane installs a tap and charges a fee for this service. Mebane also charges <br />an assessment fee to all customers in the city limits and to those outside the city limits who <br />petitioned the city for sewer service. Lastly, Mebane charges a connection fee, which goes to <br />cover the incremental capital cost of providing sewer service to that customer. Staff is only <br />suggesting that Orange County adopt Mebane's connection fee schedule at this time (as <br />shown in Attachment 2). <br />In the above example under the current County Resolution provisions, the homeowner with the <br />larger parcel would pay a total Orange County connection fee of $8,600 ($8,000 acreage fee + <br />$600 availability fee) and the owner of the smaller parcel would pay a total Orange County <br />connection fee of $1,100 ($500 acreage fee + $600 availability fee). Mebane currently charges <br />$1,300 for a single family residential sewer connection. <br />If Orange County adopts Mebane's connection fee schedule, eliminating the County's current <br />acreage-based fees and availability connection fees, both homeowners would instead pay a <br />$1,300 Orange County connection fee. As shown in Attachment 2, the connection fees are <br />indexed to the size of the water meter serving the property and the use of the structure being <br />served. <br />FINANCIAL IMPACT: The financial impact due to changing the fee structure is dependent on <br />the lot size, meter size and intended property use of the customers who request connection. <br />Adopting Mebane's connection fee structure will make connection much more affordable for <br />single family residential customers on large lots, while still collecting a fee proportional to the <br />customer's impact on the System. This may result in an increased number of customers, which <br />contributes to the overall health of the System by spreading the operating costs over a larger <br />group. <br />RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board approve this sewer <br />connection fee policy change incorporating Mebane's connection fee schedule into the Efland <br />Sewer Resolution and deleting the County's current acreage-based and connection fee <br />provisions. <br />