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Kennewick Irrigation District customers won't see rates go up

By Kristi Pihl, Tri-City Herald
Published: Jan. 10, 2013 at 12:00 a.m. PST — Updated: Jan. 10, 2013 at 11:55 a.m. PST
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Customers of the Kennewick Irrigation District can expect to see the same rates this year. (TRI-CITY HERALD FILE)

Kennewick Irrigation District customers won't see rates increase in 2013.

The district's board unanimously approved assessments this week that remain unchanged from last year.

It's the fourth year in a row that rates did not increase for KID ratepayers with 8 acres or fewer and the third year in a row for property owners with more than 8 acres, according to Chuck Freeman, district manager.

The current rates will provide enough revenue for a balanced budget, Freeman said.

KID's operating budget is $8.3 million for 2013. Colleen Storms, KID treasurer, said the largest source of revenue is assessments.

Property owners are charged an assessment for operations and maintenance based on parcel size. The assessment for parcels up to about an acre ranges between $20 and $290 for non-pressurized systems and $20 to $460 for pressurized systems, according to KID documents.

For more than an acre to 8 acres, the range is $330 to $465 for non-pressurized systems and $525 to $775 for pressurized systems. Parcels of more than 8 acres are charged $80 per acre for non-pressurized systems and $100 per acre for pressurized systems.

The assessment for each parcel also includes $53.09 for capital projects, applicable U.S. Bureau of Reclamation construction loan payments and KID local improvement district payments.

Customers also can be charged for using more than the 3.5 acre-feet of water per acre they are allotted. Freeman told commissioners that such a charge is rare.

For more information about water allotments and how to determine how much water to use on a lawn, go to http://kid.org/news-center/education/.

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