Consultant: Town has options for how it bills water
by Mark Cowling | Florence Reminder & Blade Tribune
As the town completes a new utility rate study — possibly leading to the first water and sewer rate hikes in more than two years – it can make the new rates reflect town leadership’s policies and goals, the Town Council was told Monday.
Dan Jackson with Willdan Financial Services, which is conducting the rate study, said there are several different ways the town can structure its water rates, depending on its priorities. Rate plans aren’t just financial decisions, but social, community and political decisions, he said. The council took no action Monday.
The current structure, called an “inverted block” plan, is intended to promote water conservation: the more water a household uses, the higher its per-gallon price. Such a plan is popular and accepted throughout the country, but has the disadvantage of high-volume users paying high prices, Jackson said.
