HERNANDO COUNTY UTILITY DISTRICT RATES & CHARGES

SECTION 1 DEPOSITS - Unless waived, as provided for in County Ordinance 2005-19, utility deposits for water and wastewater service shall be as follows:

A. Residential (per meter):

Water or wastewater only - $ 50
Water and wastewater - $ 100

B. Non-residential/Commercial: Including but not limited to multiple habitants under a master meter; service stations; movie theaters; drugstores; cafeterias and restaurants; industrial users; and any other commercial/non-residential users shall pay a deposit of:

SECTION 2 Tap-In CHARGES - Water and Wastewater:

A. Water Tap-In Fee: Charges for hooking up to the District's water system shall be sufficient to cover the operations costs of labor, travel and/or materials, including, but not limited to the costs of the original, or future replacement meter, meter boxes, corporation stop, valves, and appurtenances and the long-term maintenance or replacement thereof, but with a minimum charge of the following:

  
Additional fees may be charged where roads will be crossed, and/or where lines will be extended.

B. Wastewater Line Up Fee: Wastewater line fees shall be sufficient to cover the operations costs of line locates, inspections and any labor, travel and/or material cost and the long-term maintenance thereof, with a minimum charge of $150 per ERU for residential, non-residential, commercial and industrial units. For purposes of the line fee, the ERU (equivalent residential unit) for wastewater is 280 gallons of water usage per day.

SECTION 3. SERVICE FEE - The Utilities Department charges a service fee for customer services, including, but not limited to: account transfers and/or account reinstatements; scheduling service disconnection for delinquent payment whether service is disconnected or not prior to payment of delinquent charges; making additional service trips to a location due to customer error; and service trips by Department personnel to repair damage to District property caused by the customer or other unauthorized persons performing work for or otherwise acting in the customer's behalf. After 5 p.m. on workdays and on Saturdays, Sundays, and County holidays, the fee is doubled.
(1) On Workdays - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. $ 30
(2) After 5 p.m., week-ends, and holidays $ 65

SECTION 4. TEMPORARY DISCONNECT FEE - The Utilities Department charges a service fee of $25 for turning off and/or locking off water service at a customer's request. This includes locking off water service for customers who will be absent from the home for a period of time, or for customers who request service turned off to repair their water system. After 5 p.m. on workdays and on Saturdays, Sundays, and County holidays, the fee is doubled.

(1) For customers locking off water for an extended absence the fee of $25 is charged to the account at the time the customer requests that service be turned back on.

(2) For customers requesting a turn-off for repair work:

• If the request to turn-off and restore service occurs within the same workday before 5 pm, Monday through Friday excluding holidays, the department will provide this service at no charge.
• If the service remains off beyond 5 pm and a department employee is required to return on a different day to restore service, a service charge is applicable.

Section 5. Late Fee - Utility bills are due upon receipt and become past due 20 days after the billing date. Failure to receive a bill does not prevent service interruption or additional service charges. If your statement shows a past due balance on the date of the next monthly billing, a penalty of 5% of the past due bill will be added to the bill and water and/or sewer services will be subject to disconnect and additional fees.


SECTION 6. RATES - The following schedule of monthly base rates and usage charges shall apply to commercial and residential water and wastewater services rendered by the District. A minimum monthly charge for water and/or sewer service is made and due from all customers - regardless of usage. Said monthly rates are as follows:

A. WATER RATE STRUCTURE:

RESIDENTIAL CLASS:
Minimum Monthly Billing Charge - All Meter Sizes: $ 5.00

	Usage Rate (Gallons):	October – September
1	0 - 10,000	$ 1.12/1,000 gallons
2	10,001 - 20,000	$ 1.34/1,000 gallons
3	20,001 - 30,000	$ 1.68/1,000 gallons
4	30,001 - 50,000	$ 2.24/1,000 gallons
5	50,001 gallons & over	$ 3.36/1,000 gallons

COMMERCIAL CLASS:
Minimum Monthly Billing Charge Per ERU [1]: $ 5.00

	Usage Rate (Gallons)[2]:	October – September
1	0 - 10,000	$ 1.12/1,000 gallons
2	10,001 - 20,000	$ 1.34/1,000 gallons
3	20,001 - 30,000	$ 1.68/1,000 gallons
4	30,001 - 50,000	$ 2.24/1,000 gallons
5	50,001 gallons & over	$ 3.36/1,000 gallons

[1] For purposes of billing, the ERU (equivalent residential unit) is 350 gallons per day of water usage or 10,500 gallons per month.
[2] Consumption blocks to be applied on a per ERU basis.
NOTE: Residential and commercial usage is billed in100 gallon increments.


For the first year or until the first October following twelve (12) consecutive preceding months of active service, a commercial account's minimum monthly charge is billed based on either water meter size or estimated daily flow as determined at the time connection fees are collected. Each October thereafter, annualized twelve (12) month average daily water usage for the preceding consecutive twelve (12) months will be determined for each commercial account and the monthly base rate will be adjusted accordingly (up or down) to correspond with the appropriate ERU value, effective the following January and first appearing on the February billing. When a commercial user's twelve (12) month averaged daily water usage exceeds or becomes less than the existing ERU value, the user's monthly base rate will increase or decrease accordingly. The Department may require, or the customer may request, the installation of a larger water meter. If a larger meter is installed, the commercial customer shall pay the difference in Tap-In fees between the previous meter size and the new meter size. For purposes of billing - one ERU shall equal 350 gallons of water used per day (10,500 gallons of water used per monthly billing period) on an average annualized basis. ERU amounts shall be rounded up or down to the nearest whole number.

B. WASTEWATER RATE STRUCTURE:

RESIDENTIAL CLASS:
Minimum Monthly Billing Charge: $12.33
Usage Rate (Gallons)[1]: $2.66 per 1,000 gallons of metered water consumption
[1] Residential usage rate capped at 6,000 gallons per month of metered water consumption.

COMMERCIAL CLASS:
Minimum Monthly Billing Charge per ERU: [1] $12.33
Usage Rate (Gallons): [2] $2.66 per 1,000 gallons of metered water consumption

[1] For purposes of billing the ERU (equivalent residential unit) is 280 gallons per day of water usage or 8,400 gallons per month.
[2] Wastewater usage charges for commercial customers shall be imposed on 100 percent of total water consumption per potable water meter each billing period.
NOTE: Residential and commercial usage is billed in100 gallon increments.

Commercial usage is reviewed annually and the monthly base rate is adjusted accordingly based on the preceding twelve (12) months average daily usage.

C. IRRIGATION RATE STRUCTURE:

RESIDENTIAL CLASS: RESIDENTIAL IRRIGATION METERS PROHIBITED Due to a concern for conserving Florida's drinking water supply, ORDINANCE NUMBER 2005-19 prohibits residential water meters solely for irrigation purposes. Therefore, new residential water meters solely for irrigation purposes are now prohibited in all county service areas. Nevertheless, certain residential irrigation meters exist in the former Florida Water Services Spring Hill area. Unless and until the Board of County Commissioners prohibits the continued use of such meters, the water rates for existing irrigation meters are as follows:

Residential Minimum Monthly Billing Charge - All Meter Sizes: $ 5.00

	Usage Rate (Gallons):	October – September
1	0 - 10,000	$ 1.12/1,000 gallons
2	10,001 - 20,000	$ 1.34/1,000 gallons
3	20,001 - 30,000	$ 1.68/1,000 gallons
4	30,001 - 50,000	$ 2.24/1,000 gallons
5	50,001 gallons & over	$ 3.36/1,000 gallons

COMMERCIAL CLASS:

Commercial Minimum Monthly Billing Charge Per ERU [1]: $ 5.00

	Usage Rate (Gallons)[2]:	October – September
1	0 - 10,000	$ 1.12/1,000 gallons
2	10,001 - 20,000	$ 1.34/1,000 gallons
3	20,001 - 30,000	$ 1.68/1,000 gallons
4	30,001 - 50,000	$ 2.24/1,000 gallons
5	50,001 gallons & over	$ 3.36/1,000 gallons

[1] ERU (equivalent residential unit) is 350 gallons per day of water usage.
[2] Consumption blocks to be applied on a per ERU basis.
NOTE: Residential and commercial usage is billed in 100gallon increments.

For the first year or until the first October following twelve (12) consecutive preceding months of active service, a commercial account>s minimum monthly charge is billed based on water meter size or estimated daily flow as determined at the time connection fees are collected. Each October thereafter, annualized twelve (12) month average daily water usage for the preceding consecutive twelve (12) months will be determined for each commercial account and the monthly base rate will be adjusted accordingly (up or down) to correspond with the appropriate ERU value, effective the following January and first appearing on the February billing. When a commercial user's twelve (12) month averaged daily water usage exceeds or becomes less than the existing ERU value, the user's monthly base rate will increase or decrease accordingly. The Department may require, or the customer may request, the installation of a larger water meter. If a larger meter is installed, the commercial customer shall pay the difference in Tap-In fees between the previous meter size and the new meter size. For purposes of billing - one ERU shall equal 350 gallons of water used per day (10,500 gallons of water used per monthly billing period) on an average annualized basis. ERU amounts shall be rounded up or down to the nearest whole number.

SECTION 7. TEMPORARY WATER SERVICE - Deposit, Service Charges, and Rates

TEMPORARY WATER SERVICE DEPOSIT: Deposits for temporary water service are the same as in Section 1. However, for one-time bulk water purchases, the deposit shall equal the total of the estimated bulk water purchase. Deposits for temporary hydrant meters shall be $1,073 or the actual replacement cost of the hydrant meter assembly. Deposits for temporary service accounts shall not be refunded until the customer's final bill. At such time, the deposit is applied against the account balance and/or damage/loss charges, and then any deposit balance is refunded to the customer.

TEMPORARY WATER SERVICE CHARGE: A non-refundable service charge (cost of locating the water line, installation of temporary meter, and establishing the utility account) for temporary water service is $60. The non-refundable service charge for a one-time bulk purchase is $10.

TEMPORARY WATER SERVICE AND BULK PURCHASE RATE: The charge for temporary water service is based on a usage charge for total consumption plus a minimum monthly charge.

TEMPORARY WATER MONTHLY USAGE RATE:
Per Section 6 A above.

TEMPORARY WATER MONTHLY RATE (MINIMUM CHARGE):

BULK PURCHASE: $2.00 (One time purchase)
BULK PURCHASE: $5.00 (On-going account, monthly billing)
RESIDENTIAL: $5.00 (No minimum consumption included)
COMMERCIAL: Commercial rates are based on meter size or ERU value.

SECTION 8. CONSUMER PRICE INDEX Rates may be adjusted annually in accordance with the Florida Public Service Commissioner Consumer Price Index (CPI) published each Spring, as approved by the Board at an advertised public hearing.

SECTION 9. WATER SHORTAGE EMERGENCY If the Southwest Florida Water Management District declares the existence of a water shortage applicable to Hernando County pursuant to its rulemaking authority, the Hernando County Water and Sewer District through its administrative officers may implement a 50% surcharge to the last three consumption blocks of its water user fees after thirty (30) days from the date of any such declaration, unless the governing board of the Water and Sewer District determines otherwise.

*****EMERGENCY WATER RATES*****
  (In effect as of April 1, 2007)

	Usage Rate (Gallons):	October – September
1	0 - 10,000	NO CHANGE
2	10,001 - 20,000	NO CHANGE
3	20,001 - 30,000	$ 2.52/1,000 gallons
4	30,001 - 50,000	$ 3.36/1,000 gallons
5	50,001 gallons & over	$ 5.04/1,000 gallons

EMERGENCY WATER SHORTAGE NOTICE

SECTION 10. REPEALER Hernando County Resolution Number 2004-238 is hereby repealed in its entirety upon the effective date of this resolution. Additionally, all resolutions and parts of resolutions in conflict herewith are also hereby repealed.

SECTION 11. EFFECTIVE DATE This Resolution shall take effect upon adoption with rates implemented on October 1, 2006.