June 19, 2006
Sims lauds County Council for adopting reduced 2-year sewer rate
King County Executive Ron Sims said sewer rate-payers, public health, and the region’s environment and economy are big winners with a new two-year sewer rate and capacity charge adopted today by the County Council.
“I commend the council for adopting a sewer rate that fully funds King County’s commitment to clean water and protecting the region’s economy,” Sims said. “The new rate and capacity charge deliver lower-than-expected monthly bills over the next two years, and finance Brightwater and other regional water quality projects that protect public health and the environment.
“I congratulate Councilmember Dow Constantine for his work on the proposal that allows the Wastewater Treatment Division to expand and maintain the sewage treatment system for 1.4 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties,” Sims said.
The new rate of $27.95 is lower than the $29.25 originally projected in the county’s 2006 adopted budget. Prudent fiscal policies and lower interest rates on construction bonds allowed the Executive to transmit a proposal nearly a dollar lower than the budget projected. The lower interest rates were possible because of an upgrade in Wastewater’s bond rating by Standard and Poor’s in May.
The Executive’s proposed sewer rate of $28.35 was 90 cents per month lower than originally projected. The County Council lowered the monthly rate even more by off-setting the regular rate with a modest increase in the capacity charge. The new capacity charge is $42.00. The new rates become effective Jan. 1, 2007.
County sewer rates have held steady for the past two years.
The Wastewater Treatment Division’s (WTD) proposed capital spending in 2007 is $295 million. In 2008, WTD is proposing to spend $418 million, which includes construction of the new Brightwater treatment system, and nearly two dozen other vital sewer improvement projects that are now under way or planned for.
People enjoy clean water and a healthy environment because of King County's wastewater treatment program. The county’s WTD protects public health and water quality by serving 17 cities, 17 local sewer utilities and more than 1.4 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Formerly called Metro, the regional clean-water agency now operated by King County has been preventing water pollution for more than 40 years.