'Significant Discharger' Fees Growing More Significant in 2012

Major changes to the 'significant discharger' water fee are coming to Ridgewood in 2012, Village Manager Ken Gabbert said at the Wednesday night council work session.

Last year, the council approved an increased charge to $4.03 per each 1,000 gallons for excess users, those using more than the 110,000 gallon monthly cap. Readings are taken in the winter and when the bill drops, it's loathed by village business owners. Now residents too can share in that hate. Perhaps a few, at least.

Village Manager Ken Gabbert said although the ordinance states that residential property owners, multi-family housing units, non-profits and businesses are supposed to fall under the ordinance's umbrella, he discovered during meetings with staff and business officials last year that only non-profits and commercial properties have been charged.

"For whatever reason, we were never going through and tallying up the residentials  – and there are some, it's not a whole lot – and the multi-family units," Gabbert said. For 2011, the Village Manager recommended the council move forward in sending bills to commercial properties to receive the funds back by December 1 so they can be budgeted. The council has already outlined roughly $151,000 in commercial properties and $240,000 or so in non-profits in anticipated funds.

Shakeups await in 2012, he said.

"In 2012 we're going to have an awful lot of changes," Gabbert said. Due to damage at the Water Pollution facility from Irene, capital will have to be raised outside of what FEMA provides (projected at 65 percent or less), Gabbert remarked.

"So we need to take a whole look at that [potentially increasing] $4.03 amount. Hopefully it will be offset by additional residential properties and multi-families that we can now charge so we could actually keep the rate the same or lower."

Mayor Keith Killion said although some in the business community find the discharge bill a bane, he knows plenty who have been helped by the ordinance.

"The upside is there are a lot of restaurants that I spoke to that got their significant discharge [bill] they realized they had leaks that were going on and weren't fixed," he said. "So they ended up fixing those leaks, which was good for them, good our water company, good for saving water and lowered them down from a significant discharger."

One was likely Valley Hospital, which although still the largest 'significant' discharger in Ridgewood, has taken measured steps to reduce its water consumption.

"Valley Hospital is the largest by far. If they're not close to 50 percent, maybe a little bit over 50 percent," Gabbert said. "But with what Valley has done over the last couple years in conservation, I believe we took a hit around $20,000 to $30,000 last year..." 

The vast majority of homeowners will not need to worry about being charged an increased amount for its usage fee, Killion said.

"For a house to be using that amount of water, something's not right," the mayor said.

However, those renting in multi-family units may see the costs dumped onto them by the property owner.