When most of us use a service, we want that service to be reliable and fairly priced.

That’s why the Town of Thompson recently addressed the rates that you pay for sewer services.

The result? A new plan is now in effect that consolidates multiple sewer districts and restructures rates– and ultimately lowers bills for most residents.

This plan has been in the works for years, and everyone at the Town is excited about how it is already improving and modernizing the sewer and wastewater systems.

Let’s take a closer look at how these changes will benefit you…

Before the Plan: Too Many Districts, and Rates Not Based on Potential Usage

In 2019, the Town commissioned Delaware Engineering to undertake an Infrastructure Master Plan. Delaware Engineering reported on two areas for improvement:

1) Consolidating 11 sewer districts into 3 districts that share a common user base

2) Standardizing the method of billing to be based on the type of property and its’ potential sewer flow and not the assessed value of the property

First, the plan revealed that there were too many sewer districts and that these districts didn’t necessarily align with which wastewater treatment plant received the sewage.

For example, there were 11 separate sewer districts in the Town. Nine districts sent wastewater to Town-owned wastewater treatment plants and two districts sent wastewater to Monticello.

Secondly, Delaware Engineering recommended a change in how rates are determined. There were also different billing methods in different districts, and the plan urged the Town to standardize billing.

After careful research and more studies, Delaware Engineering put together another plan in 2021, outlining how consolidation and standardization could unfold…

Consolidating Districts Makes Sense (and Saves Dollars)

The new plan suggested that sewer districts be consolidated based on which wastewater treatment plant they flow to. This means that a larger number of end users will share in the annual operation and maintenance costs.

Ultimately, the sewer and water bills that customers get will be more reflective of the service they are actually receiving!

For most Town residents, their sewer and water bill will be lower. When there is a repair required for a district’s sewer system, that repair cost will be shared across a much greater amount of people.

It’s also important to remember that your sewer bill is not a tax. It’s a fee you pay for use of a service provided by the Town. Even if your property is tax exempt, you are not exempt from paying for sewer and water services.

Standardizing Bills for Ultimate Fairness and Transparency

Sewer and water rates were previously based on a points system. These points were determined by how each property might use the sewer and water services. Some non-residential properties are also assigned points based on assessed property value.

Going forward, the rate system will be solely based on potential usage of that property. Assessed property value has no correlation to that property’s possible amount of sewer usage! Therefore, points will no longer be based on property value.

What Happens Next?

The plan is officially moving forward! The Town of Thompson Board recently approved both the Sewer District Consolidation Plan and the Rate Restructuring Plan.

The Town is excited about the opportunity for modernizing how its sewer systems are organized and how its services are billed. The outcome should be a fair, equitable, and transparent sewer system for everyone in the Town of Thompson.