OAK HILL — City customers face a 21 percent sewer rate hike on Oct. 1 if the state Public Service Commission approves a request by the city’s sanitary board.
The sanitary board adopted an ordinance on Aug. 10 that seeks the rate increase for furnishing service to 3,389 customers.
The proposed increased rates and charges will become effective later this year unless otherwise ordered by the PSC. If approved, the change will produce about $300,000 annually in additional revenue, an increase of 21 percent.
The average monthly bill for the various classes of customers will be altered as follows:
INCREASE ($) INCREASE (%)
Residential (based on July 2009 average of 3, 500 gallons) $ 4.79 21%
Commercial (based on July 2009 average of 15,200 gallons) $ 18.59 21%
Governmental (based on July 2009 average of 16,900 gallons) $ 20.60 21%
Industrial (based on July 2009 average of 26,500 gallons) $ 31.93 21%
The increases are based on averages of all customers in the indicated class. Individual customers may receive increases that are greater or less than average.
Also, the requested rates and charges can be increased or decreased by the PSC in its review of the filing. The commission will review and approve or modify the increased rates only upon the filing of a petition within 30 days of the adoption of the ordinance by:
* Any customer aggrieved by the changed rates or charges who presents to the commission a petition signed by not less than 25 percent of the customers served by the Oak Hill Sanitary Board;
* Any customer who is served by the sanitary board and who resides outside the corporate limits and who is affected by the change and who presents to the commission a petition alleging discrimination between customers within and without the municipal boundaries. The petition should be accompanied by evidence of discrimination; or
* Any customer or group of customers who are affected by the change in rates who reside within the municipal boundaries and who present a petition to the commission alleging discrimination between the customer or group of customers and other customers. The petition should be accompanied by evidence of discrimination.
All petitions should be addressed to the Executive Secretary, Public Service Commission of West Virginia, 201 Brooks Street, P.O. Box 812, Charleston, WV 25323.
A complete copy of the proposed rates, as well as a representative of the utility to provide any information requested concerning it, is available at Oak Hill City Hall, located at 100 Kelly Avenue. A copy of the proposed rates is also available for public inspection at the PSC office at 201 Brooks Street, Charleston.
