The District is proposing to increase sewer service rates for fiscal years 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13 & 2013/14.  More information is presented in the sublinks at the bottom of the page.

Charges for sewer service and other services provided by the District are based on the fairness principle, by which customers pay for the actual cost of service.

The charges are based on the cost to collect, treat and dispose of wastewater from a residential household, with adjustments for the higher cost to handle wastewater from non-residential properties, as determined by flow and strength.

At the same time, the District strives to keep expenses as low as possible, to provide customers with rates that are among the lowest in the region.

Some Background on the Proposed Sewer Service Charge Increase -

• Staff and consulting engineers have provided significant evidence and documentation of the need to rehabilitate the District's infrastructure, especially to handle peak wet weather flows. Inflow and infiltration from public and private sewer lines are overwhelming the district's conveyance system and treatment plant. This has led to sanitary sewer overflows.

• Strict new regulations and the recently issued USEPA Compliance Order requires the District to implement costly new upgrades to the collection, conveyance and treatment systems to prevent wet weather spills and to reduce or eliminate blending in the wastewater treatment plant.
• The District must also upgrade and rehabilitate aging treatment facilities to ensure continued compliance with its wastewater discharge permit requirements.
• If the District does not comply with these requirements, it would be subject to severe regulatory fines and be open to costly lawsuits from private individuals and organizations. These actions would substantially increase customer costs and would not solve the problem.
• The cumulated effect of inflation, strict new environment regulations, and aging infrastructure require us to make the difficult decision to raise rates.
• The District's financial consultant, John Farnkopf, has done a thorough job analyzing and forecasting revenue requirements. The consultant's recommendation was that rates must be increased to meet the needs described above.

Cost Control -

• Staff has done an excellent job controlling costs. They have been cross training and have continued to update their skills and knowledge, which increases efficiency and reduces costs.

Future Sewer Service Charge Increases -

• The amount and details of future increases are presented in the sublinks below.

Strategic Plan -

• The District's 2010 Strategic Plan is presented in the sublink below

      --> SMCSD 2010 Strategic Plan

• The Hilton Farnkopf & Hobson Sewer Rate Update Report is presented in the sublink below

• Other Key Documents: