Sussex council weighs change in water, sewer billing

The Sussex Borough Council is looking at a system that would make water and sewer billing more equitable for residential ratepayers.

The council president, Robert Holowach, said the borough’s utility is looking at switching to a service-fee model instead of charging residents for water usage.

“So all things would be equal,” he said. “You have a three-bedroom, two-bath or three-bath home or if you have a two-bedroom and one-bath home, it’s one (equivalent dwelling unit). If you have a two-bedroom, one-bath apartment, it’s one EDU. For multifamilies, the same would apply.”

Holowach said the current system, which charges residents based on usage, is not equitable.

Residents pay 1.29 cents per gallon and a minimum of $181.13 per EDU, while sewer fees are 1.15 cents per gallon and a minimum of $161.96 per EDU. Ratepayers also pay 2.04 cents per gallon in transmission fees.

“I think we’ll be very quickly prepared to make a recommendation of how to make some simple change within the current system,” Councilman Frank Dykstra said.

Mayor Edward Meyer called the proposed system a user fee.

“It’s what it costs before you even use any electricity or any water or any gas that everyone pays equally across all of the utilities, except for ours,” he said. “So, this way, it levels it out.”