Atlas Twp- Residents may soon feel they are flushing money down the toilet, as rising sewer costs take their toll on the township.
And while at least one resident expressed frustration over the situation at the Feb. 19 township board meeting, Township Supervisor Paul Amman said the finger of blame should not be pointed at the township, but rather at the Genesee County Drain Commissioner Division of Water and Waste Services.
‘We have absolutely no control over it,? said Amman. ‘The fees are what the commission says they are going to put in place.?
According to the GCDCDWWS website, www.gcdcwws.com, ‘the division’s mission is to distribute water and collect and treat wastewater in such a manner that is in compliance with all state and federal regulations, and to maintain the lowest cost to customers.?
The GCDCDWWS recently set sewer costs at a rate of $2.95 per linear foot. Amman said the revenue collected by the township for sewers was no longer covering costs, leaving the balance to be paid from the general fund.
John O’Brien, Division Director of GCDCDWWS, said that cost is determined through a specific calculation.
‘Basically what we did is we took our historical records and we identified our operational costs to maintain a mile of sewer… we broke that cost down to a per foot cost,? said O’Brien.
O’Brien added because the GCDCDWWS is a government entity, they are not able to collect a profit, so any money left over at the end of the fiscal year is applied to the next year. If the amount of money remaining at the end of the year is significant, rates are lowered.
An evaluation is done each year to make sure the GCDCDWWS is staying within cost limits, O’Brien added.
O’Brien said the only function of the water and waste division is servicing sewers and water. The division does not receive any tax money and is operated on money collected from monthly charges.
Amman said with costs as they are, something had to change in the township sewer billing.
‘We were charging $57 a quarter. That wasn’t covering (costs) by any means,? said Amman, adding the monthly cost of sewers to the township was $3,211, which was paid quarterly.
Further complicating matters is the lower percentage of residents who actually have sewer access from their homes. Amman said only there are currently only 72 sewer customers in the county, with the remainder of homes and businesses using septic systems.
To create what he felt to be a better billing system, Amman said he divided the $3,211 monthly cost by the number of people taking advantage of sewer systems.
‘This is what I look at as a user fee. The people that have them will pay for them,? Amman said.
The monthly fee for sewer customers is now set at $44.60 per month, or, $133.80 quarterly.
Amman said he expects those figures to go higher still, as the GCDCDWWS adjusts its prices yet again.
O’Brien, however, does not predict such a change.
‘We do not anticipate the costs going up,? said O’Brien.