Greene County moves sewer connection fee ordinance to public hearing March 20

The Greene County Redevelopment Commission gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a proposed ordinance changing how the district charges for sewer connections by large industrial users and authorized publication of notice for a public hearing on March 20.

Commission members moved to begin the ordinance process after staff described how the current fee schedule and meter-sizing rules could produce widely different connection costs for a prospective industrial customer identified in the record as “Enhanced.” Marvin (staff member) explained the options, including calculating a hook-on charge using equivalent dwelling units (EDUs) or using meter size and replacement-cost calculations tied to plant capacity.

Marvin said the company’s requested 12,000 gallons per day would represent roughly 24% of the plant’s current capacity under the district’s figures and that applying EDUs would produce a much higher connection fee than the district’s current $5,000-per-EDU schedule. Using the EDU method, Marvin said the example in the materials would translate to roughly 38.7 EDUs and an effective connection cost he estimated near $193,000; using a capacity-based replacement-cost calculation produced a different estimate but the staff memo showed the company would still pay substantially more under current engineering-based cost estimates.

Commission discussion focused on two recurring concerns: how to measure capacity for industrial users without forcing them to install an oversized meter, and how to prevent long-term district ratepayers from subsidizing new industrial customers’ large wastewater demands. Commissioners asked whether the ordinance could rely on reported flow (monthly readings or effluent flow meters) rather than meter size. Marvin confirmed the ordinance could require monthly meter readings or an effluent flow meter for industrial users and said the state’s industrial-user permit requirements would apply when appropriate.

The commission voted to give preliminary approval to the ordinance and to authorize staff to publish notice. The board then set the public hearing for March 20 at the next scheduled meeting. Commissioners instructed staff to serve notice directly on the company named in the packet as well as comply with the newspaper publication requirements spelled out in the notice statute referenced during the meeting.

No final rate or ordinance language was adopted; the action was limited to preliminary approval and setting the hearing date. The record shows the board expects a second reading and a public hearing before any fee changes become final.

Proposed next steps listed on the record include delivering the ordinance and notice directly to the prospective customer, completing the newspaper publication schedule required by statute, and bringing the ordinance back for formal adoption after the public hearing.