Utica council approves one-time 50% sewer rebate for Legacy Aquarium initial fill

Utica City Council on Dec. 10 approved a one-time 50% discount on the sewer charge for Legacy Aquarium’s initial water fill, after the council debated whether waiving the full fee would set a costly precedent for other large users.

The aquarium’s representative, Chuck Finley, told the council the initial fill would be approximately 100,000 gallons and that the organization was requesting a rebate only on that first fill because those gallons would remain in exhibits rather than immediately enter the sanitary sewer system. “Our initial bill is estimated to be around a 100,000 gallons,” Finley said.

Council members pressed Finley and city staff on the mechanics and long-term costs. Councilmember Sikora said waiving the full sewer charge would shift costs to other ratepayers and that the council should not approve a complete waiver. “So to ask that the whole amount be waived, I will not vote for that. I will consider a partial waiver of that fee,” Sikora said. Council discussion led to a compromise: a one-time, 50% rebate on the sewer charge for the measured volume of the initial fill, with the city’s Department of Public Works (DPW) to record a meter reading immediately before and immediately after the fill to establish the quantity to be rebated.

The council also required Legacy Aquarium to pay all future sewer charges associated with routine water changes and any new water introduced during maintenance. Finley had told the council that the aquarium expects routine monthly changes (so-called backwashes) of about 10% of tank volume and that engineers estimated annual evaporation from the facility could range from roughly 365,000 to 500,000 gallons; he said those later uses would be billed normally.

Councilmember Sikora added that the DPW should perform two meter readings to avoid guessing the actual volume used: one reading before the fill and one immediately after. The motion adopted instructs DPW staff to perform those readings and applies the 50% rebate only to the measured initial fill. The motion was supported by Councilwoman Taranzi and carried in roll call (majority approval; one councilmember voted no).

The estimated rebate amount discussed in the meeting was roughly $1,100–$1,200 for the 100,000-gallon figure presented by the aquarium; the council motion ties the rebate to the meter reading so the exact dollar amount will depend on the recorded usage. DPW will coordinate the meter reads with Legacy Aquarium prior to the fill.

Why it matters: The decision balances the city’s interest in welcoming a new business and its need to preserve wastewater revenue and avoid creating a broad precedent for other large nonresidential water uses. The council explicitly limited the relief to a single event and required procedural safeguards (meter reads) to identify the rebate amount precisely.

What comes next: DPW staff will take a pre-fill meter reading and a post-fill reading; council instructed the DPW to coordinate those reads with Legacy Aquarium. Financial details of the rebate will be set from the measured consumption and the city’s sewer rate schedule.