PORT ANGELES — All properties serviceable by city of Port Angeles utilities will have to pay base rate fees, regardless of whether the property uses the utility or not.
That includes vacant properties or those that have voluntarily disconnected from the system, according to a city council memo. The base rate fees will apply to electric, water, wastewater, solid waste and medic 1 utilities.
The change could cost non-discounted residential customers between $1,500 to $2,400 or more per year, depending on a number of factors, including available utilities and wastewater meter sizes.
Commercial properties also will be required to pay base rate fees.
The ordinance was unanimously approved Tuesday night by six of the Port Angeles City Council members. Council member Navarra Carr had an excused absence, although she indicated approval for the ordinance during the council’s Dec. 3 meeting.
“I think that this is one way that we can have a more equitable utility structure,” Carr said at the previous meeting.
One of the purposes is to help offset the costs that the city incurs to bring utilities to the property.
“The city is required to reserve and plan for water and power to all customers within our service areas, regardless of the usage,” city Finance Director Sarina Carrizosa said.
The utility base rates are the costs of making those services available for properties, council member Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin said.
If properties are not required to pay base rates, Carrizosa said it essentially results in paying customers subsidizing those costs for the non-paying vacant and voluntarily disconnected properties.
“[Now] people are going to be paying their fair share for utilities,” Carr said. “The burden is not going to fall on full-time residents to pay for people who live here part-time or have investment homes that aren’t being used for anything else.”
The plan will be introduced in two phases. First, the city will apply charges to residential and commercial properties that have voluntarily disconnected from utilities. That phase will begin Dec. 30, according to city communications coordinator Jessica Straits.
In the second phase, the city will apply base rate charges for vacant properties that are not currently connected to city utilities but are inside the city’s service area. That will involve reviewing all vacant properties “to determine ownership and ensure that base rates are applied fairly,” Straits said.
There is no estimated date for the implementation of the second phase, Straits said, although it will take place after the review is complete.
Currently, the following base rates apply for non-discounted residential customers: $34.41 per month for electric, $40.86 per month for water in city limits and between $34.96 and $107.12 per month for wastewater, depending on meter size.
The residential base fee for medic 1 utilities is $148.45 per year.
Solid waste fees vary based on a variety of factors. The full utility rate schedule can be found on the city’s website.
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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
