Starting in July, quarterly Clark Lake sewer rates will rise from $157.23 to $234, an increase of 49%. The increase supports the replacing of grinders. Each property that has sewer service has one of these. Given the age of the system, replacements will become increasingly necessary. Columbia Township calls it the “critical grinder pump replacement program.”
Those in the Lake Columbia and Vineyard Lake systems also face an increase. Lake Columbia will go from $142.23 per quarter to $168. Vineyard Lake will rise from $180 per quarter to $207. These rate increases are to “maintain and plan for future replacement of pumps.
Below is a letter that sewer district property owners will receive.
Below is a monthly breakout of costs. Unlike Clark Lake and Lake Columbia, Vineyard Lake has a debt service fee which is added to their $57.80 charge.
At the most recent meeting, Township trustees considered the purchase of two different kinds of grinder pumps. They chose the Environment One Extreme Series and received a price break and an added year of warranty on each unit ordered. At present, the supply of replacement pumps is low, so there was urgency to make additional purchases.
Although there was considerable discussion about the purchase, the vote was unanimous to go through with it.
49% sewer rate increase – I guess I’m not surprised…
I’ll say between maintenance costs, debt service & Legal expenses the sewer system has to the worst agreement ever consummated in the area. The bad decisions of the past will continue to fall on the back of the property owners of today.
Archie,
At this time there’s no debt service, the legal expense for the SRI Lawsuit is being paid by our insurance. The system is 22+ yrs old and maintainable costs have climb more than expected now it’s catch up time. The increase was calculated to last 5 yrs excluding any SRI loss that is a unknown cost if any.
I seem to remember being told that our rates would reduce when others joined the system. What I don’t remember is ever receiving a rate reduction. Whatever happened to that?
Flip — Thanks for the words
A 49% increase is not good. This is just ANOTHER rate increase to a very bad deal that CL property owners are caught up in.
Ist going to cost us 80.00 a month to poop.
This increase is a result of stupid government officials making poor decisions over and over again. The grinder systems are joke and poorly engineered. Our local government has made a business out of the repairs and built new facilities to to support the maintenance of the grinders. Bob Elrod should be recalled. The entire system from pump to to treatment plant has been mismanaged since conception. Evidence of their incompenance is apparent by their need to contract outside firms such as Umbauch Associates to “study” their poor decisions and tell them they need to increase rates because of their lack of talent to study what they have built. I guess that’s what you get from a government that works only 4days a week.