Jun. 26--HERMITAGE -- Hermitage commissioners introduced an ordinance Wednesday that would raise the sanitary sewer tap-in fee from $1,000 to $2,500 for each equivalent domestic unit.

The fee is charged when new homes, business and institutions are connected to the sewer line.

The legislation also lowers the value of an EDU -- the average amount of waste water one home generates in a day -- from 400 gallons to 219.6.

An EDU amount is based on the number of gallons of water one person uses in a day -- about 90 -- and the Mercer County home occupancy rate of 2.4 people, said Joseph P. Pacchioni, consulting engineer for the city and Hermitage Municipal Authority, which actually owns the sewer plant, lines and pumping stations.

The EDUs of commercial, industrial and institutional customers will be based on the average or estimated average daily flow.

The drop in the number of gallons for each EDU will mean nothing to residents, but larger water users will have to pay more to tap in, said treatment plant superintendent Tom Darby.

The tap-in fee the city is allowed to charge is based on a state-derived formula that takes into account historical costs of building the system to take water from homes and businesses to the treatment plant. The ordinance state that the city could charge a fee as high as $2,607.

The ordinance also creates a $100 inspection fee to cover the cost of staff time to inspect a newly built lateral line that connects a building to the city sewer line.

Commissioner Rita L. Ferringer asked if the additional money raised by the tap-in fees could be allocated to the waste water treatment plant expansion project.

City Manager Gary P. Hinkson said any unspent money in the sewer budget at the end of the year goes into capital projects, but he would not want to earmark the tap-in fee funds because the city has other construction projects it must undertake.

Commissioners plan to hold a public hearing on the ordinance and final vote in July.

-----

To see more of The Herald, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sharon-herald.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.