Crown Point sewer customers will see a credit on their next city services statement for sewer usage billed at the regular rate in September instead of the reduced summer rate the city offers.
The next bill customers get that will be due in December will reflect the September credit and show October billed at the discounted summer rate as well, officials said.
Clerk-Treasurer Kristie Dressel said she contacted the software provider who was able to go back and look at September and adjust the bills to reflect the applicable credit for the September amount paid above the normal reduced summer rates.
She said the city also will extend the summer rates through October.
“A slip will be put in the December bills to notify residents of the credit,” Dressel said.
Mayor David Uran asked for an update on the credit Wednesday before the Board of Public Works and Safety. He said the credit accomplishes the first option the city council wanted to use to provide relief to ratepayers hit by the unexpectedly large bills in the wake of a hotter than usual September.
“This is good news,” Uran said.
Both moves were authorized by the city council Nov. 6 after residents began complaining about higher than expected bills for September. Some residents attended the council meeting and reported bills between $200 and $400 above their usual summer bills.
The city has an ordinance reducing sewer utility rates in the summer to account for increased water usage from homeowners watering lawns and filling pools. That water does not make it back in the sewer system. Since sewer rates are tied to water usage, the city offers a summer discount via ordinance. The utility takes an average of three months of winter water usage for a customer to determine a baseline for that account’s summer sewer billing and applies that rate for the months of June, July and August.
For the past nine years the city has been able to extend that credit into September without council action. Dressel said the department last year had extended the discount through September for residents who called in to complain. She said that lead to the office being flagged by the State Board of Accounts because the extension was not uniform among all customers.
The ordinance needs to be changed so the clerk’s office can apply the credit when needed, officials said.
The city council referred the ordinance back to the ordinance committee for members to make a recommendation on an amendment that would automatically extend the credit to September and possibly October. Committee members also were asked to consider whether to include language that allows the clerk’s office to provide a discounted rate for homeowners establishing a new lawn or filling a pool in months not covered by the ordinance.
Carrie Napoleon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
