Policy - Policy for Charging Efland Sewer Customers with Wells

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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION- AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: September 20, 2011 Action Agenda Item No. 5 - SUBJECT: Policy for Charging Efland Sewer Customers with Wells DEPARTMENT: Planning_ PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N)- NO ATTACHMENT(S): 1. Excerpt from the Most- Recent Version of the Efland- Sewer Rules Resolu#ion, as Last Revised on November 4, 2010, with Suggested Change Added 2. Memo from Paul Thames, Former Orange County Engineer, Dated March 9, 2000 INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Lindley, -PE, Staff Engineer, 245- 2583 Craig Benedict, Planning Director, 245- 2592 PURPOSE: To consider changing the current policy on monthly billing for Efland sewer residential customers who use wells. BACKGROUND: There are five current residential customers of the Efland sewer system who are sewer-only customers. These customers each have a well that provides their water. Since these customers are not connected to the Orange-Alamance Water System (OAWS), meters are not in place to determine their monthly water and sewer usage. Under the previous rate schedule that was in effect from 1989-2009, these sewer-only customers had been charged the fee for 3,000 gallons of sewer usage per month, which was $15.20. The fee for 3,000 gallons of usage was also the minimum fee that could be charged to any sewer. customer during this time. In fact, the original resolution stated that well-users would be billed the minimum charge each month. On November 4, 2010, the BOCC adopted an amendment to the Efland Sewer Resolution that set the monthly charge for sewer-only customers equal to a bill for 5,000 gallons of sewer usage. This amount of usage was chosen after reviewing other municipalities' policies regarding sewer-only customers and comparing to Orange County customers estimated average use. Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) charges sewer-only customers as though they use 6,000 gallons, and the City of Mebane charges sewer-only customers for approximately 5,700 gallons of usage each month. For all customers, the Efland average bill was approximately 4,940 gallons of usage per month during 2007 and part of 2008. This usage data was gathered in preparation for the rate study that occurred in 2008 and represents the most recent comprehensive water use data among Efland customers available at the time the sewer-only customer policy was established.