Property owners and other interested parties in the City of Columbus, Indiana (the “City”), are hereby notified that an ordinance (the “Rate Ordinance”), increasing the rates and charges for sewer services, was introduced at a meeting of the Common Council of the City (the “Common Council”) held on September 17, 2024. A public hearing of the Common Council will be held at 6:00 p.m., local time, on October 1, 2024, in the Council Chambers at Columbus City Hall, 123 Washington Street, Columbus, Indiana, on the matter of the rates and charges. At such public hearing and prior to final adoption of the Rate Ordinance, all interested parties may appear and be heard. Immediately following the public hearing the Common Council will convene and may consider the adoption of the Rate Ordinance.
The complete text of the proposed Rate Ordinance is on file and available for examination and copying at the office of the City Clerk in Columbus City Hall, 123 Washington Street, Columbus, Indiana, during regular business hours, and will be available at the public hearing.
Following the adoption of the Rate Ordinance, users locate outside the municipality’s corporate boundaries may be entitled to petition the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission under Indiana Code 8-1.5-3-8.3 to review and adjust the rates and charges imposed on the users if a petition under Indiana Code 8-1.5-3-8.2 or Indiana Code 36-9-23-26.1 with respect to the same Rate Ordinance has not been filed.
The Rate Ordinance provides for an increase in rates and charges as set forth below:
| Proposed | ||||
| Present | Phase I* | Phase II** | Phase III*** | |
| Base Charge (Per Month) | ||||
| Meter Size: | ||||
| 5/8 inch meter | $7.05 | $7.45 | $8.12 | $8.53 |
| 1 inch meter | 14.08 | 14.73 | 16.06 | 16.86 |
| 1 1/2 inch meter | 29.51 | 30.73 | 33.5 | 35.18 |
| 2 inch meter | 49.16 | 51.1 | 55.7 | 58.49 |
| 3 inch meter | 110 | 114.15 | 124.42 | 130.64 |
| 4 inch meter | 189.54 | 196.6 | 214.29 | 225 |
| 6 inch meter | 428.19 | 443.95 | 483.91 | 508.11 |
| 8 inch meter | 760.42 | 788.3 | 859.25 | 902.21 |
| 10 inch meter | 1,186.25 | 1,229.65 | 1,340.32 | 1,407.34 |
| Volumetric Rate (Per 1,000 Gallons) | ||||
| Residential and Small Commercial | $8.33 | $8.78 | $9.57 | $10.05 |
| Large Commercial | 6.6 | 8.01 | 8.73 | 9.17 |
| Industrial | 5.26 | 6.33 | 6.9 | 7.25 |
| Driftwood Utilities, Inc. | 6.16 | 7.54 | 8.22 | 8.63 |
| Septic/Bulk User Rate (Per Gallon) | $0.07 | $0.06 | $0.07 | $0.07 |
| Property Not Using Water (Per Month) | ||||
| Unmetered user (assumes 4,640 gals.) | $45.70 | $48.19 | $52.52 | $55.16 |
| Excessive Strength Surcharges | ||||
| BOD (>250 mg/l) | $0.24 | $0.29 | $0.32 | $0.33 |
| SS (>250 mg/l) | 0.153 | 0.366 | 0.399 | 0.419 |
| NH3 (>18 mg/l) | 2.109 | 4.171 | 4.546 | 4.773 |
| PT (>6 mg/l) | 1.567 | 3.113 | 3.393 | 3.563 |
| Additional BOD Monthly Capacity Charges | ||||
| (Total LB BOD Per Month) | ||||
| BOD/LB Usage Bracket 1 (68,701 - 137,400) | $0.00 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 |
| BOD/LB Usage Bracket 2 (137,401 - 364,110) | 0 | 0.12 | 0.13 | 0.14 |
| BOD/LB Usage Bracket 3 (364,111 - 580,230) | 0 | 0.5 | 0.55 | 0.58 |
| BOD/LB All Over (580,231+) | 0 | 0.52 | 0.57 | 0.6 |
| Present rates and charges per Ordinance No. 13-2021, adopted June 15, 2021. | ||||
| *Phase I effective for December 2024 usage, January 2025 billing | ||||
| **Phase II effective for December 2025 usage, January 2026 billing | ||||
| ***Phase III effective for December 2026 usage, January 2027 billing |