Southington's New Sewer Fees Explained On Town Website

SOUTHINGTON Worksheets and notes are now online to help people understand changes in sewer use rates that will affect 10,000 customers starting in July.

The information was posted Wednesday on the municipal website under the heading "sewer-related documents" on the "news" section.

People will find explanations on why the rate system is changing, work sheets on what it will cost to buy and install the required metering devices, how to decide if it makes sense to install a separate meter to record water used only for irrigation, and other issues.

The sewer fees, which will have a fixed facility charge and a variable component based on actual water use, will raise enough money to cover the yearly operating cost of the water treatment facility.

The budget is now $5 million. The soon-to-be-scrapped rate system is based on estimated water bills and repeatedly fails to raise sufficient funds. It would fall $250,000 short next fiscal year and more in subsequent years, if left unchanged, town officials have said.

"We had to improve the rate system," Cheryl Lounsbury, the head of the town sewer committee and the town council's vice chairperson said Tuesday evening at a sewer committee session. "If we did not, we would not be acting responsibly."

The new system will raise money by a 10 percent increase in rates and more precise quarterly billing based on actual water usage. Earlier this month, town officials said the new rate system "will capture an additional 16 percent of the required revenue, which is currently not being collected"

Residents who use private wells and private septic systems are not affected.

The annual bills for 2013-14 that residents will receive in April, May and June of this year will be based on the old system. The new rate take effect July 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year when residents on public water and sewer can expect to receive quarterly bills that more accurately reflect their sewer usage.

People with questions about the new rates can also may the town sewer department at 860-276-6233.

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Southington's New Sewer Fees Explained On Town Website