Second Reading of Ordinance #969 - An Ordinance Amending Chapter 98 Sewer Service Charges

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Recorded in the minutes as: “a. Second Reading of Ordinance #969 - An Ordinance Amending Chapter 98 Sewer Service Charges Murray/ Motion: to approve the Second Reading of Ordinance #969 - An Ordinance Amending Chapter 98 Sewer Service Charges. City Manager Ben Champ explained that during the preparation of the FY27 budget it was identified that the rates for sanitary sewer service needed to be increased. The City of Pleasant Hill is a member of the Wastewater Reclamation Authority (WRA) and as a member must pay annually to the WRA for the City’s proportionate share of operation and maintenance costs and for debt service payments. The WRA has approved a new facility plan which calls for significant capital improvements and bonding in the upcoming fiscal years that will increase Pleasant Hill’s debt payments to the WRA. The rate increase proposed in this ordinance is 7.25% which will increase the base rate from $8.92 to $9.57 per 1,000 gallons and the sewer access charge from $14.96 to $16.05 per unit. That increase will impact the average residential customer by $1.74 per month. The increase will be .65 cents per 1,000 gallons of water consumed, plus an increase of $1.09 per month for the sewer access charge. The last rate increase the City approved was July 2025. This increase would become effective July 1, 2026. The ordinance approval is being requested at this time to provide sufficient time for the Des Moines Water Works to make the necessary changes to their billing program prior to the July 1 effective date. Previously, the ordinance also established a new rate category for flow to be received from the City of Altoona in the future under the terms of an agreement recently approved by both Cities. The agreement provides for a combined rate that would be adjusted at the same rates as other Pleasant Hill customers on July 1, 2026 from $12.47 to $13.38 per 1,000 gallons of flow”.

Motion as recorded: “to approve the Second Reading of Ordinance #969 - An Ordinance Amending Chapter 98 Sewer Service Charges. City Manager Ben Champ explained that during the preparation of the FY27 budget it was identified that the rates for sanitary sewer service needed to be increased. The City of Pleasant Hill is a member of the Wastewater Reclamation Authority (WRA) and as a member must pay annually to the WRA for the City’s proportionate share of operation and maintenance costs and for debt service payments. The WRA has approved a new facility plan which calls for significant capital improvements and bonding in the upcoming fiscal years that will increase Pleasant Hill’s debt payments to the WRA. The rate increase proposed in this ordinance is 7.25% which will increase the base rate from $8.92 to $9.57 per 1,000 gallons and the sewer access charge from $14.96 to $16.05 per unit. That increase will impact the average residential customer by $1.74 per month. The increase will be .65 cents per 1,000 gallons of water consumed, plus an increase of $1.09 per month for the sewer access charge. The last rate increase the City approved was July 2025. This increase would become effective July 1, 2026. The ordinance approval is being requested at this time to provide sufficient time for the Des Moines Water Works to make the necessary changes to their billing program prior to the July 1 effective date. Previously, the ordinance also established a new rate category for flow to be received from the City of Altoona in the future under the terms of an agreement recently approved by both Cities. The agreement provides for a combined rate that would be adjusted at the same rates as other Pleasant Hill customers on July 1, 2026 from $12.47 to $13.38 per 1,000 gallons of flow”.

From the vote line in the official minutes, which names each member’s vote. Members not named in the vote line are shown as Not in the record unless the minutes list them absent. Vote line as printed: “ROLL CALL: AYES: Murray, Birch, Hodges, DeMoss, Konrad. NAYS: None. Motion carried 5- 0.”.