Sewer rate changes in pipeline

In July, Mayor Bob McDavid appointed a seven-member citizen Sewer Task Force to restructure the way Columbia bills sanitary sewer customers. More than six months later, the task force presented its recommendations to the City Council at its Feb. 7 work session.
The city gets revenue for the sewer utility from two charges: a flat fee, or base charge, and a rate for the amount of water used. The new rate structure is meant to shift the city’s revenue structure away from a reliance on the flat fees and toward a heavier reliance on the volume charges.
But some of the flat fees, especially for large commercial users, could rise substantially, as could the volume charges. The other goal is to shift more of the burden to commercial users that take up more of the system’s capacity, and many homeowners could see their rates reduced. Others, though, could see higher rates depending on the amount of water they use.
Overall, the fee structure is supposed to be revenue-neutral.
The City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed changes March 21.
Below is a list, compiled by the Public Works Department, of the city’s 19 largest sewer users and the effect the change would have on their rates. The users are ranked from highest to lowest based on their current bill.