Your monthly sewer bill could increase by a few dollars. Building permits would cost more. And you would have to dig a little deeper into your wallet to pay some green fees at Lake Spanaway and Fort Steilacoom golf courses.
Those are some of the rate increases the Pierce County Council might approve as part of County Executive Pat McCarthy’s proposed budget for 2012.
The council is expected to finalize its revisions to McCarthy’s proposal Tuesday and then adopt a budget for next year.
McCarthy is proposing a budget package of $799 million for 2012 – including $274 million for the general fund – that aims to preserve county services. Her plan includes a handful of fee increases to pay for services and help balance the budget.
County Council members debated Friday whether to cut back the proposed sewer rate increase because people already are struggling to pay their bills.
Sewer rates for an estimated 252,000 people in unincorporated Pierce County and cities served by the county would go up by $3.64 a month, to $37.83 in 2012. In 2013, the rates would increase another $4.03, to $41.86, according to McCarthy’s plan. That’s a monthly increase of 10.6 percent per year for single-family residences. Rates for multi-family units and businesses also would increase.
The increases would be the last of four years of planned rate hikes to pay for expansion of the Chambers Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. In earlier budgets, the council approved the sewer rate increases for 2010 and 2011.
But County Council members Stan Flemming and Tim Farrell said Friday that the increases for the next two years are too much for residents hurting from the economy. They proposed spreading out the rate hikes for 2012-13 over the next four years.
Under their suggestion, rates would increase $2.50 next year and $2.68 in 2013 – a 7.3 percent annual hike. If the increases are stretched out, sewer rates by 2015 would be nearly one dollar more than under McCarthy’s proposal.
Flemming said residents are telling him: “We’re all at the breaking point and we just can’t pay more fees.”
The council put off making a decision until its meeting today.
Besides unincorporated areas, the sewer utility services Lakewood, University Place, DuPont, Milton and Steilacoom, as well as portions of Tacoma, Fife and Edgewood.
More sewer revenue is needed to sell more bonds to expand the county’s sewer system. Demand is expected to exceed the plant’s capacity by 2016.
The council expressed support for several other fee increases:
• The annual stormwater management fee for single-family residences in unincorporated Pierce County would increase from $103.17 to $108.39.
• Green fees for Lake Spanaway and Fort Steilacoom golf courses would increase. At the Lake Spanaway course, the weekday rate for 18 holes would rise from $28 to $30 and the 18-hole weekend/holiday rate would go from $34 to $36. At the Fort Steilacoom course, the nine-hole rate would go up from $13 to $14; the 18-hole rate would remain at $20. Rates for seniors would increase while rates for students would decrease at both golf courses.
• Rates for ferry service between Steilacoom, Anderson Island and Ketron Island would increase. The round-trip fare for a car and driver during the peak season would be raised from $19 to $21. The nonpeak season fare would go from $15.80 to $16.80. Passenger and other fares also would increase.
Council members put off deciding whether to raise a variety of fees for Planning and Land Services until today.
One of the most significant is a 4 percent hike in building permit fees.
If approved, the fee for a two-story, four-bedroom house of 4,500 square feet would increase from $3,315 to $3,447, said senior planner Melanie Halsan. Home remodels and expansions also require a building permit.
The increase in building permit fees is expected to generate $125,000 in 2012. That’s half of $250,000 in increased fee revenue Planning and Land Services, or PALS, expects in 2012.
PALS wants to raise fees eventually to cover all the actual costs of service. The division’s goal was to reach that point by 2015, but the proposed hikes for next year were scaled back to lessen the impact on builders, Halsan said.
Steve Maynard: 253-597-8647
steve.maynard@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/polibuzz
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.