Chesapeake Beach is aiming to make its water and sewer system entirely self-sustaining, and the result will be significantly higher rates for town residents and businesses. The financial pain will get worse in coming years.
Even so, the rates will not be higher than rates set by Calvert County for systems in various incorporated areas throughout the county. At least for now, they will be lower.
Still, there was no joy in the Town Council’s meeting room.
Over the years, the Chesapeake Beach system’s rates have essentially been subsidized by the sale of “Capital Connections,” a one-time charge to for hooking up to public water and sewer. According to the Calvert County Department of Planning and Zoning, however, Chesapeake Beach’s “build-out” will be completed in Fiscal Year 2016. In other words, there will likely be no new construction after that date, and so no sale of capital connections.
At an emergency work session Monday (May 9), the Town Council put in final form for public hearing and vote a far-reaching revision of the entire billing structure. In addition to a phase-out of capital connection subsidies, the new proposed budget eliminates the “estimated dwelling unit” (EDU) system of billing for fixed charges and substitutes a charge per billable connection. At the same time, the current tiered system of usage charges is replaced by a flat usage rate.
In presenting his proposal to the Town Council, Mayor Bruce Wahl said there was only one reason for opposing the new system: “If you’re faced with an increase, you’d prefer not to have to have it.” Under the new system, the average residential water and sewer bill will increase between $13 and $16 per quarter for FY 2012.
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