Title
Ordinance to Amend and Reenact the City Code of the City of Hampton, Virginia by Amending Chapter 30, Titled "Sewers and Sewage Disposal," Article III, Titled "Sewer Use Charges," Section 30-48, Titled "Amount"
Purpose
PURPOSE/BACKGROUND:
See Discussion.
Discussion:
The City of Hampton is part of a Regional Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to minimize sewer overflows and impacts to the Chesapeake Bay. The estimated cost to either repair or replace sewer infrastructure is approximately $230 million in FY 2022 dollars, with national year-over-year construction cost indexes steadily increasing, with some costs rising faster than inflation. The City established a sewer surcharge to cover the additional expenses and ensure compliance with the MOA. The last increase of that surcharge was for FY 2022, when that surcharge was increased to $0.94. An increase of $1.18 is proposed resulting in a monthly fee of $2.12. In addition, a sewer user fee is imposed to provided funding for the operation and maintenance of the sewer system. The last increase of that sewer user fee was in FY 2024, when that user charge was increased to 1.92. An increase of $0.46 is proposed resulting in a monthly fee of $2.38. Both the surcharge and user fees are based on one hundred (100) cubic feet of water consumption. By example, based on a usage per month of 668 cubic feet or approximately 5,000 gallons, the combined monthly bill would be increased $10.96 or from $19.10 to $30.06.
The sewer surcharge and user fees are imposed pursuant to authority granted by Code of Virginia Section 15.2-2122.
Notice of these fee increases were included in the advertisements for the public hearings for the City Manager's Recommended Budget for Fiscal Year 2025 that ran in the Daily Press on April 14, 2024 and April 21, 2024.
Impact:
Additional funding will be available to improve and maintain the City's sewer infrastructure.
Recommendation:
Rec
May 1, 2024: First reading only.
May 8, 2024: Final approval.
Body
BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council of the City of Hampton, Virginia, that Section 30-48 of the City Code of the City of Hampton, Virginia be amended and restated to read as follows:
ARTICLE III. - SEWER USE CHARGES
. . . Sec. 30-48. - Amount.
The user charge for all persons shall be two dollars and thirty-eight cents ($2.38) for each one hundred (100) cubic feet, or fraction thereof, of water consumption.
In addition, a surcharge of two dollars and twelve cents ($2.12) for each one hundred (100) cubic feet, or fraction thereof, of water consumption shall be imposed to pay for extraordinary engineering fees, operating costs and infrastructure costs to minimize sanitary sewer overflows in compliance with regulatory orders.
This ordinance shall be effective and the charges applied to billings made by the City of Newport News (Waterworks) on and after July 1, 2024.
. . .