Draft Water and Sewer Pricing and Billing Policy

Snowy Monaro Regional Council’s proposed water and sewer access and usage charges will be harmonised in the 2018/19 financial year, in further efforts to provide greater equity across the local government area.

The proposed water and sewer access and usage charges will benefit residents for using less water, and encourage the community to be mindful of the amount they use. The proposed pricing is based on a financial model that will ascertain the level of income required for the operations, maintenance and capital expenditure of water and sewer services.

Council invites submissions on the proposed water and sewer access and usage charges. These must be in writing and received by 4pm Thursday 17 May, 2018.

Please provide your feedback via:

Email: council@snowymonaro.nsw.gov.au

Or by post to: Snowy Monaro Regional Council PO BOX 714, Cooma NSW 2630

Draft policies relating to water and sewer access and usage charges can be downloaded from this page and hard copies at all Council offices.

BEST PRACTICE MANAGEMENT

With increasing demands on the limited water resources of NSW, these resources need to be managed in an efficient and sustainable manner.

Best practice tariffs need to reflect the cost of providing the services and comply with the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s (IPART) pricing principles for Local Water Utilities.

COUNCIL’S WATER SUPPLY TARIFF

Council’s current water supply tariff is referred to as a TWO-PART TARIFF as it consists of an annual Access Charge and a two-step water Usage Charge per kilolitre for residential customers. This will change to a single step charge from July 2018 for all customers.

WHEN AND HOW WILL THE TARIFF APPLY

These tariffs will be considered in Council’s 2018/2019 Draft Revenue Policy.

Consistent with State Government Best Practice Guidelines, Council is phasing in the charges to minimise the impact of increased water and sewer bills.

RESIDENTIAL WATER AND SEWER CHARGES

The Annual Access Charges changed in 2018 which saw a decrease from the 2017 charges (decrease of $338 in Bombala, $95 in Cooma, $200 in Delegate and $120 in Snowy areas). In 2019, there will be a very minor increase from $252 to $258 for all residential customers.

TABLE 1 – RESIDENTIAL ACCESS CHARGES

TABLE 2 – RESIDENTIAL USAGE CHARGE

NOTE: Delegate and Eucumbene Cove are declared non-potable supplies and usage charges will not apply to customers in these areas.

NON-RESIDENTIAL WATER AND SEWER CHARGES

WATER ACCESS CHARGES (NON-RESIDENTIAL)

For non-residential customers, the access charge should be based on diameter of connection. The charges that will apply to the different meter connection sizes are given in Table 3. The larger the diameter the higher the access charge.

In 2017/2018 the water access charge based on the diameter was not implemented in Bombala and Delegate due to large discrepancies. It will be introduced in 2018/19. Individual letters will be sent to the customers affected by these charges in Bombala and Delegate and a meeting will be held in Bombala with these customers to explain the changes to their bills

If the non-residential customers wish to reduce the charge, Council will approve the downsizing of the water meter connections at the owner’s cost. An application to downsize will be required along with a letter from a qualified hydraulic engineer certifying that the downsizing of the connection will not affect the fire fighting capabilities of the premises and will meet the flow and pressure requirements of the property.

SEWER ACCESS CHARGE (NON-RESIDENTIAL)

In 2017/2018 the sewer access charge for non-residential properties was not harmonised due to large discrepancies. It will be introduced in 2018/19. Individual letters will be sent to the customers in Bombala and Cooma affected by these charges and a meeting will be held with these customers in Bombala and Cooma to explain the changes to their bills.

NON-RESIDENTIAL CHARGES

TABLE 3 – NON-RESIDENTIAL WATER ACCESS CHARGES

TABLE 4 – NON-RESIDENTIAL USAGE CHARGES

TABLE 5 –NON RESIDENTIAL SEWER ACCESS CHARGES