For Immediate Release
December 5, 2013
Contact: Mark Williams
General Manager, Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District
(415) 472-1734

Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District Seeks Public Input on Potential
Changes to the way Sewer Bills are Calculated

San Rafael (December 5, 2013) — The Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District (LGVSD) Board of Directors will continue its discussion of a draft report that proposes several options for  calculating customers’ sewer bills. The Board will consider the report at its Dec. 12 meeting and could adopt a revised sewer rate structure at that time. The District is encouraging the public’s input.

“We’d like the public to come and hear what the draft report says and give us their input on the options it presents,” said LGVSD General Manager Mark Williams. “The Board would like to hear from customers and use that input to make their decision.”

The Board held a discussion on the draft report at its November 14th meeting, and received input from several members of the public. The Board will hear a presentation from the consultant who prepared the report on Dec. 12 at 4:30 p.m. at the LGVSD offices, 300 Smith Ranch Road, San Rafael.

Currently all residential customers pay a flat annual rate for sewer service, whether they live in an apartment, condominium or single family home. The flat rate method does not take into account the volume of water used, and sewage produced, by each customer. The Board will consider revising the method that the flat rate is calculated, with the option of a lower flat rate for multi-family units, because on average they are lower water users.

Commercial and industrial customers in the District are currently charged based on their usage and strength of discharged wastewater, but the draft report also suggests some updates to those rate structures to more accurately reflect the strength factors for various user categories.

At this time, the District is not considering any sewer rate increases for the 2014-15 fiscal year.  However, changes in the rate methodology may increase or decrease customer bills.

One key factor for the District in considering the revised billing methods is the time and expense of calculating and collecting charges for its 10,000 customers. Currently, sewer charges for residential customers are included in property tax bills and Marin County disburses sewer fees directly to the District.

The draft report, which was prepared by the consulting firm HDR Engineering, also includes a review of the methods used to assess connection fees for new development and possible recommendations for changes to the way those fees are levied.

A copy of the draft report by HDR will be available for review at the District offices and is available on the District’s website at: https://lgsdis.specialdistrict.org/  

For more information about the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District and its programs, visit https://lgsdis.specialdistrict.org/