Port may flush summer sewer rate credit

Port Washington residents may soon lose the sewer break they’ve been receiving during the summer.

The Board of Public Works last week postponed action on a proposal to eliminate or make major changes to the summer sewer credit, saying it needed more information before making a decision on the matter.

Public Works Director Rob Vanden Noven said that eliminating the credit would generate an additional $55,000 in revenue for the utility annually, allowing the city to delay or minimize future rate increases.

The $55,000 is the equivalent of a 2% to 3% rate increase, officials said.

The sewer credit was intended to give homeowners who use a lot of water in the summer for such things as watering gardens and lawns or filling above-ground pools a break since that water is not treated at the wastewater plant.

Typically, the city’s sewer and water bills are calculated on the amount of water used each month. But in the summer, the sewer charge is capped at the average amount of water used in January through March. 

Wastewater Supr. Dan Buehler said, people must use roughly 5,200 gallons every two months to qualify for the credit.

However, Buehler said, the ordinance isn’t written clearly and through the years the credit has been extended to virtually every homeowner.

That’s not fair, officials said, providing the example of snowbirds — residents who live in the South during the winter  — who get a larger than deserved summer credit since their winter use is so small.

Another person who lived in an upper level downtown apartment was getting the credit, Buehler said, when clearly they don’t have a lawn to water.

“How many more people are getting it that shouldn’t?” he asked.

The system is an inexact way to try and credit people for watering their lawns,” Vanden Noven said. “In my mind, it’s an argument of fairness among rate payers.”

Most communities in the area — including Saukville, Grafton, Fredonia, Belgium, Jackson, Sheboygan and Random Lake — have eliminated sewer credits, officials said.

In addition to Port, Cedarburg and Mequon continue to offer the credit, they said.

However, Buehler noted, Cedarburg requires residents to use at least 6,000 gallons of water each month to receive the credit.

The Port proposal would allow residents who want to claim the credit to install a deduct meter, which would be owned by the city but must be installed by a licensed plumber. 

The meter would more accurately measure the amount of water sent to the wastewater plant, but Vanden Noven and Buehler noted this would likely not pay off for most residents.

When Grafton eliminated its credit, Buehler said, only three or four people had deduct meters installed.

“The average person is probably going to say this doesn’t make sense for them,” he said.

The Board is expected to take up the proposal again when it meets on Tuesday, Jan. 12.