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1. What is the reason the fee is being changed?

The Town of Enfield currently funds the sewer program through a portion of the local property tax. This type of sewer funding system called "Ad Valorem" is difficult to sustain. Each capital sewer improvement project puts pressure on the Town’s budget and the Mill Rate. Investments in sewer upgrades often lose out to the Town's other immediate capital needs, like schools and public safety (police, ambulance and fire). Historically, Enfield has been challenged to allocate the money required to bring the current sewer system up-to-date.

Additionally, a sewer use charge billed directly to each household and business owner based upon their specific water consumption would provide the town with a more equitable means of sharing sewer costs. Households that conserve water would pay less than high-volume sewer users. This change would likely be more attractive to residents, the commercial and industrial community, and it would provide the town with additional external funding resources not available to municipalities that use property tax-based funding systems. For instance, under the property tax model, many joke that your car pays for sewer service.

2. When does this change become effective?

It is expected that the regulations will be adopted in August 2013 and the change will go into effect January 1, 2014. Sewer billing is based upon the previous period so the January 1 bills will reflect fourth quarter 2013 water usage.

3. How will my sewer fee be calculated under the new usage-based method?

Sewer users should become familiar with their water bills (either Hazardville Water Company or Connecticut Water Company). The sewer fee will be based upon quarterly water use. A seasonal adjustment is made by reducing the monthly June, July, and August usages of potable water by 7.5%. This “winter only” method minimizes the impact of water used only for lawn and garden irrigation or pools that is not treated at the Enfield wastewater treatment plant, thus incurring less expense.

There will also be a minimum flat fee of $13 per quarter for residential users if water usage falls below a de minimis amount of 3,835 gallons (or 3.835 kG) per quarter.

4. Can you give an example of how the residential sewer fee is calculated?

On your water bill, there is a number representing the household’s water usage for the quarter. It is now provided in increments of 1,000 Gallons (kG).

Example #1

Let’s assume the February water bill is 19 kG (this would be typical for a 2-3 person household with relatively efficient fixtures). This is then multiplied by a sewer rate (rate will vary annually - 2014 rate is projected to be $3.39 per kG):

19 kG x $3.39 = $64.41 per quarter ($257.64 annually)

Example #2

For higher water users (users using over 20 kG per quarter), the sewer rate will be at $5.08 per kG. This rate tier is anticipated to affect commercial, industrial and residential users with higher water usage.

Users will receive their sewer billing from the town in quarterly payments due in February, May, August, and November.

5. How will this affect my property taxes?

The tax rate (a.k.a. "Mill Rate") which was 29.26 for FY2012/13, represents a combination of various municipal tax allocations (education, police, library, sewer and others - but does not include fire) as summarized in the Town budget. For FY2012/13, the sewer tax allocation is 0.93 Mill. Going forward, there will be no sewer allocation in your tax bill.

6. If the Town of Enfield converts to a user fee will the fees be tax deductible?

No, user fees are not tax deductible.

7. How does Enfield's new sewer rate compare to other Connecticut towns?

The average family household in Enfield is expected to pay approximately $222.24 per year for the new sewer fee (based upon the average FY12 water average quarterly consumption of 16 kG). The 2011 Connecticut State average sewer fee is $369 per year (the lowest is $100 and the highest is $1,469). Annual costs for neighboring communities are $430/year in Ellington, $374/year in South Windsor, and $359/year in Manchester. For additional reference, the average water bill in Enfield is $644/year for Connecticut Water and $364/year for Hazardville Water.

8. Who pays the sewer bill, particularly if the property is rented?

All sewer charges, fees, penalties and interest shall be paid by the property owner or by a tenant or agent whom the property owner has authorized in writing for the Sewer Department to bill; provided that each property owner shall remain fully responsible for all sewer charges, fees, penalties, and interest with respect to his / her property, whether such charges were incurred by or on account of him / herself or on account of some other person or business. If a property is rented, the renter and the property owner would normally have a rental agreement or lease. Generally, the rental agreement would identify who is responsible for paying utilities (water, electricity, gas, oil, etc.). We recommend that renters and property owners discuss the new sewer bill and amend any previous agreements to reflect who is responsible for sewer bill payment.

9. Will the sewer use fee be billed along with your taxes?

Just like electric, cable, water and other utilities, sewer fees will be billed on a regular basis, independent and of your tax bill. The sewer use fee will be billed quarterly based on water consumption to more fairly distribute sewer expenses among the sewer users.

10. How will the new sewer fee affect "non-profits" including Fire and Police?

Non-profits will be assessed a sewer fee based upon their quarterly water usage. This includes Fire, Police, Ambulance, Hospitals, Schools and even Town Hall. They currently pay for electric and water services, and now they will pay for sewer usage as well.

11. What about people who have public sewer but not public water (i.e., a private well)?

A small percentage of households in Enfield connected to the sewer system have private wells rather than public water. Well users will be charged quarterly based on the average consumption by user classification: Residential and small non-residential 16,000 gallons per quarter for FY13/14 (~$54.24); Commercial and industrial 45,000 gallons per quarter for FY13/14 (~$194.80).

12. What happens if I do not pay my sewer bill?

If the charges on a quarterly sewer bill are not paid when due, a 1 time late payment penalty of 10% of the latest billed amount are added to the charges. Additionally, interest is attached and accrued on unpaid charges computed at a rate of 1-½% per month (18% per annum) starting on the next day after the billing due date until paid. Interest is computed on the entire unpaid balance, excluding lien certification costs.

Accounts that are in excess of 60 days delinquent may receive a lien warning letter. The letter will be mailed to interested parties known to the Enfield WPCA (known parties may include Owner, Mortgage Company, Landlord and Occupant in the case of rental property) regarding the delinquent amount. The warning letter will list the amount of charges in arrears, and will explain that the customer must pay the charges in full, or arrange for a payment plan within 30 days from the date of the warning letter. The warning letter will also provide notice that the WPCA may bring a foreclosure action against the property 60 days after the attachment of the lien.

A lien may be attached to the property if the responsible parties do not respond to the warning letter within 30 days of the notice. After 30 days have elapsed, the WPCA will proceed with the lien action if no arrangements have been made or full payment has not been received.

13. What about people who have septic systems and are not connected to public sewer?

A very small percentage of households in Enfield have septic systems and are not connected to the sewer system. These households will not be assessed a sewer fee as they do not contribute to the sewer plant.

However, septage haulers that choose to discharge to the Enfield WPCF will need a $100 annual discharge permit and be charged $60 per 1,000 gallons based upon the full capacity of their septage truck.