New Kent County moves utility fees to new code appendix, approves 4% water and sewer user fee increase
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Summary
The Board amended county code to move public utility fees into a new Appendix B and approved a 4% increase to water and sewer user fees and meter fees; the board also adopted a revised public-utility fund budget that defers major utility capital projects and reduces the borrowing plan.
The New Kent County Board of Supervisors on May 20 approved ordinances that relocate public utility fees from Appendix A of the county code to a newly created Appendix B and enacted a 4% increase in water and sewer user fees and related meter fees.
County staff told the board Appendix A will continue to include general government fees while all public utility fees will be collected in the new Appendix B. “Our meter fees are solely based on our cost to purchase meters and have them installed. We just pass that on to the user,” Mr. Hathaway, county staff, said.
In the same meeting the board adopted the public utility fund budget (Resolution R-19-25 R1) after staff presented a revised plan that defers two large utility capital projects that had been included in the advertised budget: the utilities operations center and phase 1A of the water interconnector system. Staff said deferring those projects reduces the advertised public-utility budget and will lower the county’s planned borrowing for utilities; the advertised public-utility budget had totaled $10,188,643.
Hathaway told the board the deferred projects and the related parity-debt interest-only payment (previously estimated at about $325,000) will be moved to later fiscal years. He said the utilities operations center was moved to FY2027 and the water interconnector was moved tentatively to FY2028, although staff will confirm dates with public-utilities personnel.
Supervisor Stewart moved to adopt Ordinance O-07-25 amending Appendix A and establishing Appendix B for public utility fees; the vote was unanimous. The board then approved Resolution R-19-25 R1 to adopt and appropriate the revised FY25–26 public utility fund budget, and the roll-call vote was unanimous.
Board members asked for follow-up on the revised borrowing plan; staff said they are working with the county’s financial consultants to determine a lower borrowing amount than the previously discussed $13,000,000 for utilities.
The ordinances and budget adjustments take effect as provided in the adopted documents; meter fees will be charged based on the county’s meter purchase and installation costs, and user-fee changes will be reflected on upcoming utility bills per the county rate schedule.
