POINT ARENA CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
AGENDA ITEM: X B
MEETING DATE: 8/23/2022
TITLE
Annual Review of Equivalent Sewer District (ESD) Calculations
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Approve the annual per parcel ESD adjustments.
ANALYSIS
Appropriately apportioned wastewater fees are essential to the proper financing of the day-to-day operations of the wastewater treatment plant and proper funding of the Wastewater Repair and Replacement Fund. Thus, an accurate accounting of wastewater usage is critical to the functioning of the plant for all wastewater users in Point Arena.
The City of Point Arena annually reviews the use of wastewater services for each parcel in the city limits in advance of updating wastewater charges on property tax rolls. In Point Arena, wastewater operations are charged on the property tax bill.
The County of Mendocino updates its property tax rolls yearly. The City receives property parcel information from the Assessor’s office, makes any necessary changes, and returns the information to the Assessor for calculation of the annual property tax bill. This report covers the 2022-2023 Fiscal Year for the City and the 2022-2023 Tax Year for the County.
Each property owner is charged based on the number of Equivalent Sewer Dwelling (ESD) units that have been assigned to their connection. Each parcel is assigned an ESD number which are determined by the type of use as outlined in Point Arena Municipal Code Section 13.10.020 (see attached).
An ESD is established based on a single-family dwelling (1 ESD) which represents the typical volume and strength of the wastewater generated by a single-family home. More intensive uses are assigned higher ESDs. Unlike residential wastewater use, businesses vary widely in what is in their wastewater (such as grease, detergents, other constituents) or how much estimated flow enters the sewer system. Although the City does not charge by usage, flow or content, businesses are typically assessed multiple ESDs to account for the higher flows and constituent loading per Section 13.10.020 of the Municipal Code. For example, a restaurant which, by the nature of wastewater impact from its business, is assigned four ESDs.
The monthly charge per ESD for the 2022-2023 Fiscal Year is $69.12. Most property owners in Point Arena pay for 1 ESD. This twelve-month rate for one ESD calculates to $829.44 per year. This rate has not changed since the 2020-2021 fiscal year.
The City is overdue for a new wastewater rate study and staff will be bringing back an action item related to a new study before the end of the calendar year.
This year, the City has added 13.3 ESD’s as outlined in the attached chart. These increases reflected the opening of new businesses in town that will increase the amount of wastewater put into the collection system.
FISCAL IMPACT
Increased wastewater fees of approximately $11,000 over last year’s revenue.
ATTACHMENTS
1) Proposed Changes to ESD Calculations 2022-2023
2) ESD Calculation Schedule from Point Arena Municipal Code
CITY MANAGER SIGNATURE
_________________________________
Paul Andersen, City Manager
APN Address Use Current Proposed Rationale per City Code 13.10.020 027-121-24 160 Main Street Wildflower Motel 3.3 5.6 1 office (1 ESD) and 14 rooms (.33 ESD per). 027-111-28 235 Main Street Center Street Market 1 4 1 small business (1 ESD) and food service (3 ESD) 027-111-24 293 Main New Museum Brewery 5 9
1 apartment (1 ESD), restaurant/pub (4 ESD), brewery (4 ESD) per CDP# 2020-04
027-121-2500 152 Main Street Gama Restaurant 4 5 1 apartment (1 ESD) and 1 restaurant (4 ESD) TOTAL 13.3 23.6
Proposed Changes to ESD Calculations 2022-23
Equivalent Single-Family Dwelling Connection Calculations Point Arena Municipal Code Section 10.13.020
Monthly charges for each parcel are based Equivalent Sewer Dwelling unit computed in accordance with the following schedule as multiplied by the charge per ESD provided below:
Use Category Billing Base ESD Factor
Residential
Single-Family Connection 1.0
Multiple-Family Units 1.0
Mobile Home Park Spaces 1.0
Commercial
Bank Connection 1.5
Bars Connection 1.0
Beauty Shops Use 2.0
Churches Capacity 2.0
Halls and Lodges Connection 1.0
Large Business Employees 1.5
Laundromats Machines 1.0
Markets Connection 1.5
Medical Offices Use 2.0
Meeting Places/Food Service Use 3.0
Motel/Hotel Units .33
RV Park; Campground Spaces .33
Restaurants Use 4.0
Service Stations Use 2.0
Small Business Employees 1.0
Theater Use 1.5
ESD and associated rate to be determined by the City Council