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Township Review Finds Only 28% of Sewer Costs Flow‑Related; Board Questions Shift to Consumption Billing
Summary
Gilmore & Associates presented a sewer billing concept study showing about 28% of sewer expenses are flow‑related; supervisors and residents debated fairness to low‑use households, costs to meter well users, and administrative expense of installing meters. No change was adopted; staff will consider details for potential next steps.
Towamencin Township’s sewer engineer presented a consumption‑billing concept study on May 14 that examined alternatives to the current flat‑rate sewer billing. The consultant, Bill Dingman of Gilmore & Associates, told the board that roughly 28% of sewer expenses are directly related to flow while about 72% are fixed or non‑flow related. He also reported that about 41% of flow originates with residential customers, 53% with nonresidential users and about 6% from other municipalities.
The study modeled several billing scenarios. Under a 100% consumption model, low‑use residential customers (under 100 gallons per day) would pay substantially less than under today’s flat structure while high‑use customers (over 300 gpd) would see large increases. Dingman offered an example of distributional impact and noted a 50/50 hybrid or a partial consumption component would produce smaller shifts. He emphasized the study did not include a formal recommendation but provided numbers to inform board discussion.
During public comment residents and supervisors raised implementation questions: how to meter well customers, the capital cost to install meters (a past example of a condo community retrofit was cited at about $1,000,000), credits for outdoor water uses such as pools and irrigation, winter averaging practices, and equity for older single residents or condo owners. Several supervisors said that because 72% of sewer costs are fixed, the benefit of switching to consumption billing may not justify the expense and administrative complexity. The board agreed the study was useful but took no immediate action; staff will retain the study for future consideration.
