PUBLIC NOTICE OF PROPOSED ORDINANCE RELATING TO
THE CITY OF WILLIAMSTOWN’S WATER RATES, FEES AND CHARGES
Notice is hereby given that on the 1st day of December 2020, the Council of the City of Williamstown shall consider upon final reading an Ordinance proposing an increase in its water rates, fees and charges. A public hearing shall be held prior to the adoption of said Ordinance on final reading on December 1, 2020, at 7:30 p.m. or as soon thereafter as practical, at City Council chambers located in the Williamstown Municipal Building, 100 West Fourth Street, Williamstown, West Virginia. Any person interested may appear and present comments. Due to limited space and Covid 19 restrictions, only a limited number of people will be permitted within the City Council chambers at any one time, but all who wish to speak will be entitled to do so. A copy of the Ordinance is available for public inspection at the Williamstown Municipal Building during normal business hours.
The proposed Ordinance reads as follows:
WHEREAS, since the last increase in water rates adopted and approved by the City of Williamstown on September 4, 2018, the cost of operating and maintaining the water system have greatly increased and the water system is in need of substantial capital improvements and repairs. Therefore, it is necessary to raise the rates and charges to more adequately reflect the cost of supplying and maintaining water service, including the cost of necessary capital improvements, and
WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Williamstown finds that the rates, fees and charges set forth below are just and equitable for the service provided to the City’s water customers and that such rates would be sufficient to meet daily expenses associated with the operation of its water system.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the City of Williamstown that the present water rates and charges shall be increased by three (3%) percent. Said increases shall go into effect on February 1, 2021, more than forty-five (45) days from adoption of this Ordinance. Water connection fees, water disconnect/reconnect/administrative fees and leak adjustment increments shall be revised as set forth below:
RATES
First 5,000 gallons used per month $5.94 per 1,000 gallons
Next 95,000 gallons used per month $3.92 per 1,000 gallons
All over 100,000 gallons used per month $2.21 per 1,000 gallons
MINIMUM CHARGES
The following minimum charges shall apply:
5/8th inch meter $11.89 per month
3/4th inch meter $17.72 per month
1 inch meter $29.54 per month
1-1/2 inch meter $59.03 per month
2 inch meter $94.44 per month
3 inch meter $177.12 per month
4 inch meter $295.20 per month
6 inch meter $590.35 per month
WATER SERVICE CONNECTION FEES
A tap fee of $760.00 will be charged to customers applying for service.
WATER DISCONNECT/RECONNECT/ADMINISTRATIVE FEES
Water service will not be restored until all past due water bills, including penalties, have been paid in full and an additional disconnection fee of $50.00 has been paid.
In the event that the City Staff or Agents collect money at the customer’s residence in order to stop disconnection, an administrative fee of $50.00 shall be paid in addition to other charges to prevent disconnection.
LEAK ADJUSTMENT INCREMENT
A leak adjustment increment payment of $3.00 per 1,000 gallons shall be charged, to be used when the bill reflects unusual consumption which can be attributed to eligible leakage on the customer’s side of the meter. This rate is used to calculate consumption above the customer’s historical average usage by reason of such leakage.
DELAYED PAYMENT PENALTY
A penalty of ten (10%) percent shall be imposed on all current usage billings not paid in full when due. This delayed payment penalty is not interest and is to be collected once for each bill where it is appropriate.
Nov. 23