The Fort Pierre City Council has given first reading to an ordinance that will increase utility rates next year.
City finance officer Roxanne Heezen says the town will be paying more for water from its supplier.
Heezen also proposed an increase in sewer rates.
She says they’re also proposing 50 cent increases in electric rates.
Heezen says customers would see a combined $1.90 increase in the water, sewer and electric base rates. Any other increases would be based on usage. The Fort Pierre City Council is scheduled to approve the rate increase ordinance at its Dec. 21, 2020, meeting.
Text of the proposed ordinance is below.
ORDINANCE NO. 1047
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 809, CHAPTER H-5 UTILITY
BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council, in and for the City of Fort Pierre, South Dakota:
Section 1. That Effective January 15, 2021 Ordinance No. 809 be amended in the following sections to read as displayed:
H-5-5 ELECTRIC UTILITY RATES
The charge for each kilowatt hour of electrical power registered on the electric meter or meters for the premises shall be as follows:
Residential Customers
Customer Charge $13.00 13.50 per month
Energy Charge (per kWh)
All kWh (June-Aug) $.095
All kWh (Sept-May) 0-1000 kWh $.082
All kWh (Sept-May) over 1000 kWh $.074
Small Commercial Customers
Customer Charge
Single Phase $19.0019.50 per month
Three Phase $25.5026.00 per month
Energy Charge (per kWh)
All kWh (June-Aug) $.097
All kWh (Sept-May) $.083
Large Commercial Customers
Customer Charge $35.0035.50 per month
Energy Charge (per kWh) $.035
Demand Charge (per kWh)
June-Aug $16.70
Sept-May $12.90
Customers whose usage exceeds 5,000 kWh in three (3) or more months during a 12-month period will be placed in the Large Customer Class for a minimum of one (1) year.
Security Lights
Flat Charge $11.0012.00 per month per light
A distribution surcharge of $.027 per kWh will be added for all consumers outside the corporate limits of the City of Fort Pierre.
The customer charge for every user shall be pro-rated to the owner or occupant for the residential dwelling unit based upon the occupied number of days during the first and last months of occupancy.
H-5-6 RATES FOR WATER SERVICES
The owner or occupant of each residential or non-residential facility connected to the municipal water services shall pay for the use of such service a monthly fee based upon the following:
Within City Limits:
Base Rate $26.0026.50 (base-no gallons included)
Second Tier $2.252.50 per one thousand 0 to 40,000 gallons
Third Tier $2.753.00 per one thousand Above 40,000 gallons
Outside City Limits:
Base Rate $39.0039.75 (base-no gallons included)
Second Tier $2.252.50 per one thousand 0 to 40,000 gallons
Third Tier $2.753.00 per one thousand Above 40,000 gallons
The base rate fee for every user shall be pro-rated to the owner or occupant for the residential or non-residential dwelling unit based upon the occupied number of days during the first and last months of occupancy.
H-5-10.5 MINIMUM RATES AND MONTHLY CHARGE
A. Each Residential dwelling unit, as defined in the currently adopted building code connected either directly or indirectly to the wastewater system shall pay a minimum monthly fee of Twenty-five Dollars and 60/100 Cents Twenty-six Dollars and 50/100 cents($25.6026.50). Those Residential customers, who are outside city limits, shall pay a minimum monthly fee of Thirty-eight Dollars and 40/100 Cents Thirty-nine Dollars and 75/100($38.4039.50).
B. Each Residential dwelling unit as identified in H-5-10.5 (A), in addition to the minimum monthly fee, shall pay Two Dollars and no/100 50/100 Cents ($2.002.50) per one thousand (1,000) gallons of water. This additional fee shall be based on the average gallons of water used in such dwelling during the months of November, December, January, February, and March of each calendar year. If no gallons of water are used during November, December, January, February, or March for a residential dwelling unit, a fee based on 3000 gallons of water will be used in lieu of a usage for any given monthaverage of those months.
C. Each Non-residential user, not otherwise classified as a residential dwelling unit, connected either directly or indirectly to the wastewater system shall pay a minimum monthly fee of Twenty-five Dollars and 60/100 Cents Twenty-six Dollars and 50/100 cents($25.6026.50). Those Non-residential customers, who are outside city limits, shall pay a minimum monthly fee of Thirty-eight Dollars and 40/100 Cents Thirty-nine Dollars and 75/100($38.4039.75).
D. Each user not identified as a residential user shall pay, in addition to the minimum monthly fee, Two Dollars and no/100 50/100 Cents ($2.002.50) per one thousand (1,000) gallons of water used or any portion thereof.
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The minimum monthly fee for every user shall be pro-rated to the owner or occupant for the residential dwelling unit or non-residential user based upon the occupied number of days during the first and last months of occupancy.
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In addition to the other sewer charges, the City of Fort Pierre establishes a surcharge of $.85 (eighty-five cents) payable by each customer of its system who receives or benefits from the services of the project financed by the CW#6 SRF loan with the borrower bond. Such funds collected will be captured and committed as a Wastewater Surcharge-CW#6 SRF. Said commitment is subject to adjustment from time to time by ordinance as necessary to repay a $216,000 Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) over a period of no more than thirty (30) years at an interest rate of three and one-quarter percent (3.25%), in accordance with the loan agreement to be entered into by the City of Fort Pierre and the SD Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the proceeds of which loan are to be used for the Wastewater Treatment Improvements project. Such surcharge shall be segregated from all other funds of the City of Fort Pierre, shall be and are hereby pledged to secure such loan, and shall be used for no purposes other than the repayment thereof.
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In addition to other sewer charges, the City of Fort Pierre establishes a surcharge of $10.50 (Ten Dollars and 50/100 cents) payable by each residential customer, $17.50 (Seventeen Dollars and 50/100 cents) payable by each small commercial customer, and $85.00 (Eighty-five Dollars and no/100 cents) payable by each large commercial customer of its system who receives or benefits from the services of the project financed by the CW#7 SRF loan with the borrower bond. Such funds collected will be captured and committed as a Wastewater Surcharge-CW#7 SRF. The collection of the surcharge will start on March 1, 2021 (bill payable in April). The surcharge shall remain in effect until such times as the borrower bond is pain in full, it shall be collected at the same time as other charges of the system, and establish a surcharge account to segregate the income from the other system income for book keeping purposes to be pledged to the South Dakota Conservancy District. The surcharge shall be reviewed from year to year and modified in order to provide the required 110 percent debt coverage. The said commitment shall repay a $3,701,000 Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) over a period of no more than thirty (30) years at an interest rate of 2.125%, in accordance with the loan agreement to be entered into by the City of Fort Pierre and the SD Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the proceeds of which loan are to be used for the Wastewater Treatment Improvements project.
Section 2. That all ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby repealed to the extent of conflict only.
Ayes:
Nays:
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Gloria Hanson, Mayor
Attest:
(seal)
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Roxanne Heezen, Finance Officer
Introduction & First Reading: December 7, 2020
Second Reading & Adoption: December 21, 2020
Comments