Commissioners to Hold a Public Hearing on June 8th at Kent Island High School
Special Assessment for Kent Island Estates and Romancoke
SKI Utility Bill Comes in at $100/ per Month
Phase I of the four Phase Southern Kent Island Sanitary Sewer Project is now nearly 100 % complete. During the early project planning years, the County Commissioners committed to an overall target charge for existing homeowners of $100 per month. This promise will finally be ratified at a public hearing scheduled in early June. All the 773 existing septic systems will be abandoned and connected to public sewer by the end of July. Customer utility bills will be issued on a quarterly basis and include operations and maintenance (O&M), the special assessment for the new equipment and the State’s Bay Restoration Fee (BRF). The County Commissioners have also committed to hold O&M fees flat until all four phases of the project are fully operational which is now scheduled for completion by the end of 2025.
The County Commissioners will be holding a Public Hearing at Kent Island High School on June 8, 2021 at 6:45 pm. The purpose of the Public Hearing is to adopt a special assessment for the existing homes (Class A properties) in Kent Island Estates and Romancoke subdivisions. As part of the legal requirements for the public hearing, the County mailed a certified letter to all homeowners that are subject to the special assessment and advertised the hearing in local newspapers.
The special assessment will be added to homeowners’ quarterly sewer utility bill beginning on July 1, 2021. The quarterly Sewer Utility Bill will charge $210 per quarter ($70 per month) for the special assessment and $90 per quarter ($25 per month + $5 for the State’s BRF) for operations and maintenance for a total quarterly bill of $300. Most homeowners are already paying the quarterly operations and maintenance cost since their homes have been connected to the public sewer system.
The monthly $70 special assessment amount is a fixed amount and will be billed for a 20-year period. After the 20-year period, the special assessment portion will be paid in full and will then “drop off” customer utility bills.
During the Public Information Meetings and Hearings held in 2013 & 2014 at Kent Island High School the County Commissioners committed to a target charge of $100 per month for existing homes based on $70 for the special assessment and $30 for O&M (including the State BRF fee). The County has worked diligently to control costs and have met their promise to homeowners.
To find out more information about the Southern Kent Island Sanitary Sewer Project, visit skisewer.com and follow our Public Works Department on social media @QACDPW