Once more, Supervisor James Mullen said he couldn’t support raising rates for water and sewer, and once more, Chairman Joe Grzeika was miffed by the comment.

At Thursday’s work session on the budget, Service Authority Director Chris Thomas presented proposed rate increases for customers. Water bills would go up 5 percent next year and sewer rates, 12 percent. Based on the average usage of 13,750 gallons of water every two months–don’t forget that King George residents are billed every two months, not every month–the average bill would rise from $194.52 to $213.222.

As he did last year, Mullen said he couldn’t support the rate increases. He wondered what would happen if the rates stayed the same. The answer: the county would have to give the authority $317,000, and the whole point of restructuring rates was so the authority eventually would become self-sufficient and wouldn’t have to rely on county money anymore.

Then Mullen asked how many jobs would have to be cut if the rates weren’t raised. The answer: eight to 10 of the 26 people employed. If staffing dipped that low, county officials said, the agency wouldn’t be in compliance with state and federal regulations.

So, Mullen acknowledged it was a tough decision and basically stopped talking. But you know what the real kicker is? In 2009, the supervisors, including Mullen, voted to restructure the authority so it would become a self-sufficient agency. The biggest component of that restructuring, which Mullen approved, was to increase rates so people who use the system basically pay for the system.

The rates haven’t stopped rising. According to the very plan the board approved in 2009 and discussed again in November 2010, water rates will go up 5 percent and sewer rates, 12 percent, each year, until 2015. That means average rates, for customers who use 13,750 gallons every two months will rise to:

  • 2013: $227.73
  • 2014: $239.11
  • 2015: $251.07

 Supervisors will continue to supplement the authority’s budget through 2012, then hope the agency will stand on its own feet by fiscal year 2013, said Finance Director Donita Harper.