Rock Hill water and sewer rates are likely going up. Why all of York County could pay
Water and sewer rates in Rock Hill could increase by 4%, which could trigger higher rates across York County.
Still, city officials believe rate payers are getting their money’s worth. “We have to do that to make sure we maintain the quality of life that the people of our community are living in now, and have expected to carry on into the future,” said Mayor John Gettys.
On Tuesday night, Rock Hill City Council passed the first of two motions needed to raise rates. Council took the same steps on other fees, but the water and sewer decisions have the broadest impact.
Rock Hill draws water from Lake Wylie and distributes it wholesale to York County, Fort Mill, Tega Cay and other users in the county.
County, municipal and private users who rely on water drawn by Rock Hill typically raise rates when the city does. They can be pass-through increases that match the increased wholesale costs, or can have additional charges.
Here’s a look at water, sewer and other costs that soon could increase in Rock Hill:
Rock Hill water rates
City staff estimates the increase is about a dollar a month for a residential customer’s bill, but rates vary depending on who uses the water, how much they use and where they are. A Rock Hill area resident who lives outside city limits, for instance, pays more than double what a neighbor inside the city would.
The minimum monthly charge for the smallest residential pipe, in city limits, would be $8.11 while the largest pipe would be $743.18.
Every 1,000 gallons of water used per month would add $2.95 for customers who use 6,000 gallons or fewer. For customers who use 15,000 gallons or more, it would be $8.86 per 1,000 gallons. Again, rates outside city limits would more than double those figures.
Fees vary for non-residential use.
Rock HIll sewer rates
Sewer rates also would increase 4%, pending a final vote. There also are increases to septic tank cleaning contractors.
Sewer service rates outside city limits are double the in-city rate. New minimum monthly charges would range from $19.94 to $2,492 a month depending on the size of meter used. Per-gallon charges vary by domestic or non-domestic waste, and amount.
Reasons for new water and sewer rates
Despite water and sewer increases, elected officials say costs could be much higher. They’re related to recent or ongoing work to expand capacity at the city’s water and wastewater plants.
The water plant will go from 36 million to 48 million gallons per day, while wastewater increases from 20 million to 30 million gallons per day.
The $70 million water plant project is wrapping up now, said deputy city manager Jimmy Bagley. There is a separate sludge removal project, for about $21 million, that could take another two years.
The wastewater upgrade is a series of projects that begins its major work phase now, Bagley said. The capacity increase alone could take five more years, and cost about $200 million. All together the wastewater upgrades will cost about $350 million, he said.
Smaller rate increases every year or two have become routine, rather than forcing the cost of all those upgrades on the community in any given year.
“It’s been well planned out and plotted out, thoughtfully, to help cover costs for the water (plant) expansion,” said Councilman John Black.
Increases in Rock Hill lead to higher costs further down the pipe, something that’s critical to infrastructure upgrades. Wholesale contracts with municipalities have formulas where those customers foot costs of improvements as water or sewer usage increases.
“We need to approve the water and sewer rates to keep our residents from subsidizing those other entities in the county, other communities, that also use our water and sewer,” said Councilman Kevin Sutton.
Water and sewer plants were designed and built 50 years ago. But upgrades and modernization in recent years has come as the community grows, Bagley said.
The capacity upgrades have been ongoing for a dozen or more years. New state regulations and increased work costs since the COVID pandemic are part of the need for rate increases, Bagley said.
But largely, they’re part of a long-term plan to tackle growth needs inside and outside of Rock Hill. “We’ve seen it coming,” Bagley said. “We’ve been forecasting it.”
Other Rock Hill fee changes
▪ A 3.5% rate increase for solid waste disposal mainly would cover county tipping fees, or fees paid to someone who disposes waste in a landfill. The in-city or contiguous-to-the-city rate would become $21.01 for one mobile waste container per residence, per month. Properties farther from the city would pay $23.32 per month. Additional containers cost about half those amounts.
▪ Demolition permit and inspection fees would change, with residential and non-residential demolition costs switching from a building valuation basis to one based on how many stories the building has.
▪ The business license tax for manufacturers would change. The fee for most would remain capped at $10,000. Smaller-scale manufacturers could see reductions.
▪ Another change would require landlords of commercial or residential real estate with gross incomes of $125,000 or less to report income through a business license application or renewal each year. Only lessors above that $125,000 mark have to pay business license taxes.
▪ The cost of installing security light poles would increase from $115 to $185.
▪ The 2% city hospitality tax that’s been in place since 2002 would get a wording change to make it clearer which businesses pay. The tax itself wouldn’t change. The charge on “meals and beverages” would become “food and beverages” as more businesses come in serving candy, snack or other non-meal items. Hospitality tax revenue funds tourism-generating projects.
▪ The city would update its code on service charges for what used to be returned checks. The update would add in more modern payments, like returned e-checks or fraudulent credit card payments.
This story was originally published May 29, 2024 at 1:58 PM.
