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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 06261984 - T.3 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra . FF-OK: J. MICHAEL WALFORD, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR :Costa DATE: June 26, 1984 i cou rly SUBJECT: Contra Costa County Sanitation District 15; Ordinance No..9. Bethel Island Area - Specific Requests or Recommendations 6 Background 6 Justification RECOMMENDATION Adopt Ordinance No. 9 establishing annual charges for sewer and water service for Contra Costa County Sanitation District No. 15 and order the Public Works Director as ex officio engineer for the District, to prepare a report and recommendation for the Board on the adjustment of the existing Sanitation District 15 sewer service rate schedule by January 31, 1985. The Report shall address the matter of system use equity, volumetric and sanitary strength rates, and alternative methods of applying use charges, with the 'objectives that County Sanitation District 15 charges will be in keeping with public utility practices as they apply to uses other than residential , including provisions of State Health and Safety code as they pertain to sewer service charges. BACKGROUND. On April 10, 1984, the Board of Supervisors introduced Ordinance No. 9 establishing annual charges for sewer and water service for Contra Costa County Sanitation District No. 15 and fixed May 22, 1984 as the date to consider oral and written objections or comments concerning the Ordinance. On May 22, 1984, Mr. John Walsh, representing the Bethel Island Marina Owners Association, appeared and objected to the inequity of scale of charges as they related to the Marina Owners. After this matter was discussed, the Board ordered that the decision on proposed Ordinance No. 9 be deferred to June 19, 1984 at 10:30 a.m. and the Public Works Director and the Citizens Advisory Committee were requested to review the proposed charges for marinas and the approach to establishing said charges. On June 14, 1984, John Walsh appeared before the Contra Costa County Sanitation District No. 15 Citizens Advisory Committee and discussed his objection to the scale of charges. The Citizens Advisory Committee, at the conclusion of the discussion, recommended that the Board of Supervisors adopt Ordinance No. 9 as is, and that the existing multipliers be used for Fiscal 1984/85. The Committee also recommended that staff work concurrently with the State Water Resources Control Board in reviewing the unit charges (multipliers) as part of the Revenue Plan revision. Additionally, the alternative of actual gallonage in lieu of multipliers is to be reviewed and submitted with the multiplier study. Mr. Walsh stated at the Committee meeting that he felt the marinas were being charged too much and that the system of assessing the marinas at 0.1 unit per boat berth was in- equitable. He also stated that he had surveyed numerous sanitation districts and found that most commercial areas, including marinas, were charged based on water consumption, whereas residences were based on an "average" water use. Continued on attachment: X yes Signature: Recommendation of County Adm nistrator Recommendation of Board Committee Approve Other: Signature(s): Action of Board on: Approved as Recommended Other Vote of Supervisors I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN Unanimous (Absent ) AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE Ayes: Noes: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON DATE SHOWN. Absent: - Abstain: Attested Orig. Div.: Public Works (EC) . OLSSON, COUNTY CLERK Aro cc: John Walsh EX OFFICIO CLERK OF THE BOARD Citizens Advisory Committee Nia P/W) Northern Calif. Bldg. Ind. Assoc. 1 Ralph Garrow, Inc. By DEPUTY 00 3?J He proposed that if the boat berth "multiplier" charge is to be used, it should be modified to- approximately 0.015 units per boat berth in lieu of the current 0.10 units per berth. He also proposed an alternative, in lieu of a berth unit: That marina owners be allowed to install water meters to determine approximately the amount of sewage generated and then submit the flow records to the County once a year for charge. Staff mentioned that there would be some problem using a gallonage method, i .e. , flow meters, in that there is no average for comparison to determine the charge. As Bethel Island is resort community, the flows from homes, restaurants, and commercial establishments vary widely. Additionally, the sanitary loading is generally higher from commercial estab- lishments than from residential units. On June 19, 1984, John Walsh again appeared before the Board of Supervisors and presented the Bethel Island Marina Owners Association's request for adjustment of sewer service fees. After some discussion between the Board, Mr. Walsh, and County staff, the Board ordered that the decision on proposed Ordinance No. 9 be deferred to June 26, 1984 and requested that the Public Works Director review the request for adjustment of sewer service. Staff reviewed_ the Bethel Island Marina Owners Association request and found the memorandum submitted to Supervisor Torlakson on Monday, June 18, 1984 and to the Board on June 19, to be generally correct. However, there are some assumptions that Mr. Walsh makes, with which staff cannot fully agree until further research is conducted. In particular, Mr. Walsh assumes that a residence generates an average of 300 gallons a day of sewage. This may be true for typical urban communities, but as Bethel Island is primarily a resort area and as the only source of water is through groundwater wells, this number may be inaccurate. On June 26, 1984, John Walsh presented additional information to the Board of Supervisors on the Bethel Island Marina Owners Association Request for Adjustment of Sewer Service Fees. Mr. Walsh suggested that an addition be made to the ordinance to the effect that all commercial users of Sanitation District 15 sewer services be charged for those services based on gallons of water consumed if they so elect and if they have had an approved water meter installed for the preceding year that measures the water flow into all sewage generation points. As the average flow generated by a residence must still be determined, as well as the rate that gallonage would be charged, staff recommends that the Board order the Public Works Director to prepare a report and recommendation for the Board on the adjustment of the existing Sanitation District 15 Sewer Service Rate Schedule. The report should include, but not be limited to, a study of the flow and sanitary loading generated by residences, commercial establishments, and marinas and a comparison of possible rate schedules, including metering, that could be used on Bethel Island. 00 321