Hopewell Borough has set new water rate ranges and rates that will allow the borough to provide additional relief to its biggest users.
The new water rate ranges adopted by the council on Feb. 6 increases the top rate cost range for some users and provides a decreased floor range for larger users.
“The purpose of this exercise….is to adjust the amounts that are paid by some users – raise them – and lower them on some other users to provide some additional relief to our businesses and big water users,” Mayor Ryan Kennedy explained. “This ordinance does not actually change those amounts; it just creates a different range.
“When we did this adjustment at the end of last year, we went as far as we could in lowering the rates for our business big user customers. We actually hit the floor that we could. This action will lower the floor for that category of rates and give us more flexibility.”
New water rate ranges – residential and commercial:
- For the first 2,000 gallons of water or less – $31 to $50
- More than 2,000 to 5,000 gallons – $17 to $35
- More than 5,000 to 10,000 gallons – $18 to $37
- More than 10,000 to 20,000 gallons – $18 to $39
- More than 20,000 to 30,000 gallons – $16 to $30
- More than 30,000 to 40,000 gallons – $13 to $31
- Exceeding 40,000 gallons – $12 to $32
Additionally, through a resolution, the council also approved new rates for users of the borough water system.
New rates:
- Exceeding 40,000 – $17.42 per every 1,000 gallons (Previous rate – $22 per every 1,000 gallons).
- 30,000 to 40,000 – $18.05 per every 1,000 gallons (Previous rate – $21 per every 1,000 gallons).
- 20,000 to 30,000 – $21.55 per every 1,000 gallons (Previous rate – $20 per every 1,000 gallons).
- 10,000 to 20,000 gallons – $25.30 per every 1,000 gallons (Previous rate – $24.88 per every 1,000 gallons).
- 5,000 to 10,000 gallons – $24.25 per every 1,000 gallons (Previous rate – $22.99 for every 1,000 gallons).
- Exceeding 2,000 to 5,000 gallons -$23.24 per every 1,000 gallons.
For the first 2,000 gallons of water used or less in each quarter, the rate is $39.45. This is the minimum charge, which also applies at residences and commercial businesses where water usage is not metered.
This minimum charge remains the same.
“Ultimately, this does not change the amount of money this year we are spending for water,” Kennedy said. “It just allocates it slightly differently between the 700 plus of us who pay into the system.”
