ORD 97-35 INCREASING UTILITY RATESRevised November 14, 1997
ORDINANCE 97- 35
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BAINBRIDGE ISLAND,
WASHINGTON INCREASING UTILITY RATES; AND AMENDING
SECTION E.5 OF ORDINANCE 82-20, AS SUBSEQUENTLY
AMENDED; AND REPEALING THOSE SECTIONS OF ALL PRIOR
ORDINANCES THAT AMEND SECTION E.5 OF ORDINANCE 82-20.
WHEREAS, a structure for establishing water and sewer rates, charges
and fees was put into place by Ordinance 82-20; and
WHEREAS, Section E of Ordinance 82-20, which specifies those rates,
charges and fees has been subsequently amended on various occasions including
amendment by Ordinances 83-09, 84-25, 86-08, 86-19, 91-13, and 93-39; and
WHEREAS, there have been major changes to the City's water and sewer
utility since 1982, which changes required structural as well as amount changes to
the City's utility rates, charges and fees, and inresponse to those changes, the City
Council restructured its water and sewer rates in February, 1997; and
WHEREAS, at the time of that restructuring, the City Council elected to
increase water and sewer charges by an amount that was less than the amount required
to pay for current costs, and chose instead to phase in the necessary increases over a
period of five years; and
WHEREAS, after hearing public comment on this proposed ordinance imple-
menting the phased-in rate increases previously determined by the City Council
to be necessary to pay for current operating costs plus half of the planned capital
additions; now, therefore,
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WASHINGTON,
DO ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Those sections of all prior ordinances which amend Section E.5
of Ordinance 82-20 are repealed.
SECTION 2. Section E.5 of Ordinance 82-20 is amended to read as follows:
SECTION E. Water and Sewer Rates, Charges and Fees.
SERVICE RATES.
CATEGORIES OF USERS.
Category 1 - Single Family Residences.
Category 2 - Multiple Dwellings
Residences including but not limited to apartment houses,
condominiums, multiple residences served by a single meter,
and mobile home courts: Each single dwelling unit shall
constitute one residential unit for purposes of this rate
schedule. Housing units for which each residential unit is
served by a separate meter shall be billed as category 1
Category 3 - Commercial.
Commercial users including but not limited to retail sales.
Each set of 10 (ten) fixtures or portion thereof shall constitute
one unit for purposes of this rate schedule.
Category 4 - Other.
Any users other than those in Categories 1, 2, 3 and 5,
and including but not limited to irrigation systems and
construction projects.
Category 5 - Industrial.
b. WATER RATES
The monthly rate for all categories of users shall be as follows
except as authorized in paragraph 5.f, 5.g or 5.h below:
Users in Category 1 (SFR) shall pay a monthly fixed base rate based
on size of water meter as follows:
Up to 3/4"
$13.07
1" 25.88
1 1/2" 47.22
2" 72.83
3" 141.12
4" 217.95
6" 431.37
Plus a charge for consumption on an incremental basis as
For the first 500 cubic feet $1.30
For the next 700 cubic feet 1.86
For the next 1,800 cubic feet 2.42
For amounts over 3,000 cubit feet 3.54
follows:
per 100 cubic feet
per 100 cubic feet
per 100 cubic feet
per 100 cubic feet
Users in Category 2 (Multiple Dwellings) shall pay a monthly fixed
base rate for each residential unit of: $6.55
Plus a charge for consumption on an incremental basis as
For the first 500 cubic feet
For the next 700 cubic feet
For the next 1,800 cubic feet
For amounts over 3,000 cubit feet
$1.30
1.86
2.42
3.54
follows:
per 100 cubic feet
per 100 cubic feet
per 100 cubic feet
per 100 cubic feet
Users in Category 3 (Commercial) shall pay a monthly fixed base rate
based on size of water meter as follows:
Up to 3/4"
$21.69
1" 47.42
1 1/2" 90.31
2" 141.76
3" 278.98
4" 433.36
6" 862.18
Plus a charge for consumption as follows:
For water billed in November
through June
For water billed in July
through October
$1.77
2.04
per 100 cubic feet
per 100 cubic feet
Users in Category 4 (Other), other then irrigation systems or construc-
tion projects, shall pay a monthly fixed base rate based on size of water
meter as follows:
Up to 3/4"
$31.58
1" 72.16
11/2" 139.79
2" 220.94
3" 437.35
4" 680.80
6" 1,357.07
Plus a charge for consumption as follows:
For water billed in November
through June
For water billed in July
through October
$1.77
2.04
per 100 cubic feet
per 100 cubic feet
Users in Category 5 (Industrial), shall pay rates as set by individual
contract, which contract shall not provide rates less than any of the
categories 1 through 4.
All users of separate Irrigation systems (defined as water systems
primarily designed for the watering of plants and which do not connect
directly or indirectly to the City's sewer system) shall pay a monthly
base rate based on size of water meter as follows:
Up to 3/4"
$5.76
1" 7.57
1 1/2" 10.61
2" 14.25
3" 23.96
4" 34.88
6" 65.22
Plus a charge for consumption of:
$4.07 per 100 cubic feet
Water for construction projects shall be made available to contractors
at the option of the city at a location or locations to be specified by the
city at a price of $4.07 per 100 cubic feet of water plus 125 % of the
direct costs to the city of connection set up and water delivery.
Water for single family residential construction at the construction site
prior to the final inspection of the property shall be available through the
residential meter and piping at a fixed charge of $112.00 per 90 days
or portion thereof.
c. SEWER RATES
Sewer rates for customers who also contract with the City for provision of
water shall be as follows 5.e, 5.f, 5.g, or 5.h:
Users in Category 1 (SFR) shall pay a monthly fixed base rate
of $16.36 plus $2.70 per 100 cubic feet of water used.
Users in Category 2 (Multiple Dwellings) shall pay a monthly fixed
base rate of $14.80 plus $2.70 per 100 cubic feet of water used.
Users in Category 3 (Commercial) shall pay a monthly fixed base rate
of $47.37 plus $2.70 per 100 cubic feet of water used.
Users in Category 4 (Other),
shall pay a monthly fixed base rate of $47.37 plus $2.70 per 100 cubic
feet of water used.
Users in Category 5 (Industrial), shall pay rates as set by individual
contract, which contract shall not provide rates less than any of the
categories 1 through 4.
d. SEWER RATES FOR USERS WITHOUT WATER SERVICE
Users in Category 1 (SFR) shall pay a fixed monthly rate of $45.87.
Users in Category 3 (Commercial) shall pay a fixed monthly rate
of $49.56.
e. SUMMER SEWER AVERAGING
The sewer billings for the three summer billing months of mid-June
through mid-September for all customers in Categories 1 and 2 shall
be set at the average of each property's billing for the prior months of
mid- December through mid- May. For properties with no billings
during the prior months of mid- December through mid-May, the
charge shall be based on the current water consumption.
f. REDUCED WATER CHARGES IN SPECIAL CASES
go
Upon application by a utility customer, the City's Finance Director
acting together with the City Administrator shall have the discretion to
make reasonable and equitable reductions in water accounts on a
case-by-case basis in situations where a leak in or other accident to
the water service line between the water meter and the structure causes
the customer's water consumption to be more than double the average
for that customer in the same months in the prior five years. In such
cases, a rate adjustment shall be applied to reduce the customer's bill
to the average of the consumption for that account for the same month
in the past five years plus the City's rate for users of under 500 cubic
feet per month applied to the consumption in excess of the five year
average. No more than two such adjustments shall be made during
any single ownership of the property.
GEOGRAPHIC AREA COVERED BY WATER RATES
The water rates shown in paragraph 5.b above shall apply only to
those customers taking service within or connected to the Winslow
water system (defined as that water system which provides city water
to the area known as "historic Winslow"). Customers of other water
systems shall pay rates sufficient to cover the full cost of providing the
service, using the same rate structure as that shown in paragraph 5.b,
and specified by resolution of the city council as a percentage of the
rates in effect within the Winslow water system.
h. RATES FOR MIXED USE CUSTOMERS
Customers which combine both commercial and multi-family resi-
dential uses and which are not metered separately shall be charged a
fixedcharge equal to the sum of the fixed charges for the number of
multi-family residential units served plus the commercial fixed for the
meter size actually used. The volume charge for mixed use customers is
the same as that for commercial customers. The rate for all other Mixed
Use customers shall be calculated by adding the appropriate charges for
each use and allowing a reduction to the total for any overlap.
i. DAILY RATES
In place of the monthly rates shown in paragraphs "b" and "c" of this section,
once the City has received notice of a pending sale of a property served by
the City's water and/or sewer systems, a daily rate shall be applied consisting
of one-thirtieth of the monthly base rate plus a daily consumption charge
calculated by multiplying the current consumption charge applicable to
the property in question and the daily average consumption for the property
over the period the property received service from the City during the prior
twelve months.
SECTION 3. In addition to the automatic annual fee adjustments provided for
in BIMC 13.16.060, all of the water rates shown in Section 2 of this ordinance shall
be increased by the following percentages for utility bills generated on and after
January 1 of the years indicated:
1999 2000 2001
3.5 % 1.5 % 2.0 %
SECTION 4. This Ordinance shall take effect and be in force for utility bills
generated on and after January 1, 1998, which date is more than five days
after its passage, approval, and publication.
PASSED by the City Council this 18th day of December, 1997.
APPROVED by the Mayor this 19th day of December, 1997.
ATTEST/AUTHENTICATE:
SPER, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
ROD P. KASEGUMA, City Attorney
FILED WITH THE CITY CLERK:
PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL:
PUBLISHED:
EFFECTIVE DATE:
ORDINANCE 97- 35
October 31, 1997
December 18, 1997
January 1, 1998