Many Fees Paid Early for Public Water, Sewer in Chesapeake

By Janette Rodrigues, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.

Jan. 5–CHESAPEAKE — Everybody loves a bargain, even when it’s not much of one.

Droves of Chesapeake residents and businesses without public water and sewer service took the Public Utilities Department up on its offer to connect to the city’s system for less if they paid the fees by Tuesday.

Jim Walski, department director, said Thursday the city collected about

$2 million in residential and commercial connection fees in December. In December 2005, the city gathered just $300,000.

The early-bird connection fee for some residential customers was $4,950. The household fee for them is now $7,216. That’s far from cheap, but others might have to pay $12,000 to $15,000 to have water and sewer lines extended into their neighborhoods.

The amounts for commercial fees were unavailable, Walski said, because those fees are determined by meter size and each business has a different-sized meter. Commercial customers tend to use more services than residential ones, so they pay higher application fees.

The city’s water and sewer needs have increased with the building of new subdivisions, schools, shopping centers and business parks.

The department foresees more than $100 million in water and sewer needs around Chesapeake. The deadline to petition for city services is Feb. 1.

In order for the project to proceed, at least 75 percent of residents in an approved neighborhood must pay connection fees before the city breaks ground. Its an all or none proposition.

To be approved, an entire neighborhood must connect to the city system. Those who already have city water may request the addition of sewer and vice versa.

“Once all the petitions are turned in, we have to sit down and analyze them, review them and prepare a report for City Council,” Walski explained. The department will move forward on the projects approved by the City Council.

Walski encouraged residential and commercials applicants to get their petitions in by February.

Property owners may go to www.cityofchesapeake.net to see a list of the neighborhoods eligible to petition for city water and sewer service, or call the department at (757) 382-6401.

— Reach Janette Rodrigues at (757) 222-5208 or janette.rodrigues@pilotonline.com.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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