NOTICE OF HEARING ON
PROPOSED RATES AND CHARGES
Property owners and other interested parties in the City of Bluffton, Indiana, are hereby notified that Ordinance No. 1587 establishing rates and charges for services to be rendered by the City’s Sewage Works was introduced at a meeting of the Bluffton Common Council held on May 2, 2023. At a meeting of the Bluffton Common Council to be held at 6:00 p.m. (Bluffton time) on May 16, 2022, in the Council Chambers, 128 E. Market St., Bluffton, IN 46714 there will be a public hearing on the matter of rates and charges and consideration of the adoption of Ordinance No. 1587 which provides in part as follows:
Chapter 13.12
13.12.095 Rates and Charges for wells County Regional Sewer District
WCRSD Service Charge (per month) $1,380
Less: Monthly service charge credit from 2023 SRF financing (1,180)
Net WCRSD Service Charge (per month) $200
WCRSD Treatment Rate (per CCF) $7.27*(1)
* Equal to $9.72 per 1,000 gallons
(1) There will be applied to the monthly bill a monthly treatment rate credit from the 2023 SRF financing equal to $15,766.
The 2023 SRF financing credit to be applied to WCRSD bills from June 2023 through May 2051 as follows:
Monthly Service Charge Credit From 2023 SRF Financing $1,180
Monthly Treatment Rate Credit From 2023 SRF Financing $15,766
Total Monthly Credit From 2023 SRF Financing $16,946
13.12.100 Sewage Rates – Inside City Users
For the use of and the service rendered by the City’s Sewage Works, sewer charges shall be collected from the owners of each and every lot, parcel of real estate or building that is or could be connected to the City’s sewerage systems or otherwise discharges sanitary sewage, industrial wastes, water or other liquids, either directly or indirectly, into the sewage system of the City, which sewer charges shall be payable as hereinafter provided and shall be in an amount determinable as follows:
Metered Water Consumption Monthly Sewer Charge
per month per 100 cubic feet
Phase I Phase II
First 300 cubic feet $9.60 $12.01
Over 300 cubic feet 8.84 11.06
The minimum monthly charge for any metered water customer user shall be:
Monthly Minimum Allowed Sewer Charges
Phase I Phase II
$28.79 $36.03
The minimum monthly charge for any residential user who is not a metered water customer shall be:
Monthly Minimum Allowed Sewer Charges
Phase I Phase II
$73.57 $92.07
The minimum monthly sewer charge for any commercial or industrial user who is not a customer of the City’s water utility shall be determined in accordance with the following:
Monthly Sewer
Estimated Cubic Feet per Month Charges
Phase I Phase II
910 $82.72 $103.50
955 86.70 108.47
1,084 98.11 122.74
1,472 132.40 165.65
1,602 143.90 180.03
1,740 156.10 195.29
1,860 166.70 208.57
2,295 205.16 256.68
3,600 320.52 401.01
7,336 650.78 814.21
8,257 732.20 916.07
24,429 2,161.80 2,704.70
Phase I effective upon adoption. Phase II effective with December 2023 billings.
13.12.105 Sewage Rates and Fees for Customers Outside the City*
For the use of and the service rendered by the Sewage Works, sewer charges shall be collected from the owners of each and every lot, parcel of real estate or building located outside the City that is or could be connected to the sewer system or otherwise discharges sanitary sewage, industrial wastes, water of other liquids, either directly or indirectly, into the sewer system, which sewer charges shall be payable as hereinafter provided and shall be in an amount determined as follows:
Metered Water Consumption Monthly Sewer Charge
per month per 100 cubic feet
Phase I Phase II
First 300 cubic feet $11.03 $13.80
Over 300 cubic feet 10.16 12.71
The minimum monthly charge for any metered water customer shall be:
Monthly Minimum Allowed Sewer Charges
Phase I Phase II
$33.08 $41.40
The minimum monthly charge for any residential user who is not a metered water customer shall be:
Monthly Minimum Allowed Sewer Charges
Phase I Phase II
$84.53 $105.79
The minimum monthly sewer charge for any commercial or industrial user who is not a customer of the City’s water utility shall be determined in accordance with the following:
Estimated Cubic Feet per Month Monthly Sewer Charges
Phase I Phase II
910 $95.07 $118.93
955 99.64 124.65
1,084 112.74 141.05
1,472 152.17 190.36
1,602 165.37 206.88
1,740 179.39 224.42
1,860 191.59 239.68
2,295 235.78 294.96
3,600 368.37 460.83
7,336 747.95 935.68
8,257 841.52 1,052.73
24,429 2,484.60 3,108.20
Phase I effective upon adoption. Phase II effective with December 2023 billings.
*(Outside corporate city boundaries rates and charges are approximately 14.9% higher than the rates and charges for customers inside corporate city boundaries.)
13.12.120 Strength-of-Waste Surcharge
• The rate of surcharge for each of the aftermentioned constituents shall be as follows:
Phase I Phase II
1. Biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) – per pound $0.28 $0.35
2. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) where
BOD cannot be determined – per pound $0.28 $0.35
3. Total Suspended solids – per pound $0.43 $0.54
4. Phosphates – per pound $1.72 $2.15
5. Ammonia-nitrogen – per pound $1.30 $1.63
13.12.133 System Development Charges
Connections to the City of Bluffton’s sewer facilities must pay a System Development Charge as follows:
In City Connections: $1,155.47 per EDU
Outside of the City Connections: $1,327.64 per EDU
13.12.136 Surveillance/Evaluation charge inside and outside City
All users discharging wastes into the system that require continuing surveillance sampling and waste evaluation, shall be subject to the following fixed charges to cover the costs of such services.
Monthly Evaluation
Type Unit of Measure Phase I Phase II
Type 1 Evaluation Per discharge point per month $192.52 $240.94
Type 2 Evaluation Per discharge point per month $264.27 $330.73
Type 3 Evaluation Per discharge point per month $333.52 $417.40
Bulk Waste Charges
• Bulk Industrial Waste Charge
All industrial waste suitable for disposal which has been delivered by an approved waste hauler to the City’s plant. For purposes of computing charges hereunder, a LOAD is defined as 1,000 gallons of tank capacity or any fraction thereof.
Type Unit of Measure Phase I Phase II
Discharge 1,000 gallons $165.82 $207.52
Billing Charge Per bill $7.45 $9.32
• Domestic
All domestic waste delivered to the City’s plant by customer’s truck or tank. For purposes of computing charges hereunder, a LOAD is defined as 1,000 gallons of tank capacity or any fraction thereof.
Type Unit of Measure Phase I Phase II
Discharge 1,000 gallons $165.82 $207.52
Billing Charge Per bill $5.57 $9.32
Phase I effective upon adoption. Phase II effective with December 2023 billings.
At the hearing and prior to final adoption of the Ordinance, all interested parties may appear and be heard. A copy of Ordinance No. 1587 may be examined at the office of the Clerk-Treasurer, 128 E. Market St., Bluffton, IN 46714.
Dated this __th day of May, 2023.
Clerk-Treasurer
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