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Notice of Public Hearing
The City of Lyons City Council will hold a public hearing on Tuesday May 12th at 6:30 p.m. at 161 N.E. Broad street
Lyons Ga, in the City Council chamber to consider the adoption of changes in water rates, wastewater rates, fire
fees, and commercial dumpster rates. The Council will also consider all written protest to these changes. (Further
details at the end of this notice).
Background and general information
To honor its commitment to long-term planning and appropriate infrastructure investment, the City annually
evaluates its water, wastewater, fire and commercial dumpster rates. This evaluation considers many factors that
impact the cost of providing these services. Among these factors are: the cost of water collection and
purification of potable water; requirements to maintain sufficient revenue to cover the City’s water and
wastewater costs; the cost of operations, including employee and materials costs; the cost of future projects to
maintain service reliability; the fair distribution of cost across users; and the cost of planned infrastructure
maintenance and expansion. The proposed changes to water rates in this notice apply to all customers who
receive these services from the City of Lyons.
The water and sewer services provided by the City are funded by money collected from ratepayers for those
services. The City has not seen a water/wastewater increase since 2006. The constant demands of infrastructure
maintenance, State and Federal unfunded mandates, increasing demands on treatment of wastewater, State
and Federal requirements for conservation, and expansion has caused the rate for service to fail to meet the cost
of providing the service. The City Council was presented with a proposal to adjust the above mentioned rates
over the course of 5 years. This gradual increase will allow us to meet the required cost of service and mediate
the increase over the course of time.
The City Council is also concerned about the method of how fire fees are levied across different risk loads. At
Current the fees are not weighted by the fire load that is present. This new proposal will correct this and provide a
fair approach to the current fire fee.
The activates and investment of the City in regards to the above mentioned services are designed to increase
the reliability of water and wastewater services, meet and exceed public health standards and goals, address
new regulations, and further improve financial health.
Public Hearing
Written Protests will be accepted prior to the Public Hearing. Protests must be submitted in writing to the City
Clerk’s office by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12th, 2015, and will also be accepted at the Council Chambers at the
public hearing prior to calling the meeting to order. All written protests must be signed by the owner and contain
a description of the property (address and/or Assessor Parcel Number).
Important note: Please do not send protests by e-mail. They will not be accepted.
At the time of the public hearing, the City Council will receive a final tabulation of all written protests received by
the City Clerk. The Council will then carefully consider the public input.
Resolution #
WHEREAS, The Code of Ordinances of the City of Lyons, Georgia require utility rates, deposits, and
associated fees be maintained on file at Lyons City Hall
WHEREAS, The Mayor and Council of the City of Lyons, Georgia have authorized amendments to water
sewer and fire protection rates to fund operating cost and portion of capital costs
WHEREAS, The most current water rate model prepared in 2006, the basis for current water rates,
cannot continue to cover water and sewer funding operating cost as well as needed infrastructure
maintenance and unfunded mandates required by the state and federal government without a water
and sewer rate adjustment: and
WHEREAS, the most current fire protection rate is not based on fire load. Basing a fire protection rate
on fire load is the fairest way to asses a fire protection fee.
WHEREAS, The Lyons City Council meet on several occasions in 2014 and 2015 to develop a model that
can meet the needs of the growing system and have a low impact on the Citizens of Lyons. The Lyons
City Council has determined that spreading the needed increase over the next five years will be
beneficial to its citizens and business.
WHEREAS, The Lyons City Council realizes the need to promote water conservation. The State of
Georgia has published studies that document the best way to promote water conservation is through
tiered water and sewer rates.
WHEREAS, The City Council of the City of Lyons Georgia is concerned that a recent failure to obtain
needed funds through a Community Development Block grant can be attributed to the failure of the
current rate structure to sustain the needed improvements to the water and sewer system.
WHEREAS, a public hearing to consider the proposed new rates and any protest to such rates was held
at a public meeting on May 5th, 2015 at 6:00 before the City Council of the City of Lyons, GA. Which
meeting and hearing was more than 30 days after the notice to property owners was mailed, and
WHEREAS, written protest to the proposed water rates were not present by a majority of the owners.
WHEREAS, the proposed rates set forth in Exhibit “A” attached hereto are nondiscriminatory and do not
exceed the cost of providing water service and improvement to the water system for which the rates
and charges are imposed; and
WHEREAS, the proposed fire protection rates set forth in Exhibit “A” attached hereto are based on fire
load and do not exceed the cost of providing the service for which the rate and charges are imposed;
and
This Resolution shall remain in effect for the date of execution until January 2020 unless amended by
action of the City Council. It shall continue in effect beyond January 2020 if not supplanted by another
rate resolution or amendments(s)
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the water, sewer and other services rates, deposit and fees shall be
as follows, effective June 1st, 2014
EXHIBIT "A"
Water Rates
Effective June 1st, 2015 and consecutive years.
Water Rates Inside City Limits
Tier #1
0-3000 Gal
Tier #2
3001-10,000 Gal
Tier #3
10,001 + Gal
6/1/2015
Effective
Water
Sewer
Base
$7.00
$0.00
$1.50
$2.00
Tier #1
Tier #2
Tier #3
Effective
Water
Base
Tier #1
Per 1000 gal
Tier #2
Per 1000 gal
Tier #3
$9.00
$0.00
$1.50
$2.00
Per 1000 gal
Per 1000 gal
1/1/2016
Sewer
Base
$7.50
$0.00
$2.00
$2.50
Tier #1
Tier #2
Tier #3
Effective
Water
Base
Tier #1
Per 1000 gal
Tier #2
Per 1000 gal
Tier #3
$9.50
$0.00
$2.00
$2.50
Per 1000 gal
Per 1000 gal
1/1/2017
Sewer
Base
$8.00
$0.00
$2.10
$2.62
Tier #1
Tier #2
Tier #3
Effective
Water
Base
Tier #1
Per 1000 gal
Tier #2
Per 1000 gal
Tier #3
$10.00
$0.00
$2.10
$2.62
Per 1000 gal
Per 1000 gal
1/1/2018
Sewer
Base
$8.50
$0.00
$2.20
$2.75
Tier #1
Tier #2
Tier #3
Effective
Water
Base
Tier #1
Per 1000 gal
Tier #2
Per 1000 gal
Tier #3
$10.50
$0.00
$2.20
$2.75
Per 1000 gal
Per 1000 gal
1/1/2019
Sewer
Base
Tier #1
Tier #2
Tier #3
$9.00
$0.00
$2.31
$2.88
Base
Tier #1
Per 1000 gal
Tier #2
Per 1000 gal
Tier #3
$11.00
$0.00
$2.31
$2.88
Per 1000 gal
Per 1000 gal
EXHIBIT "A"
.
Water Rates Outside Lyons City Limit
Water meters that reside outside the corporate city limits will be double rated
*Delinquent Account Fee (formerly referred to
as cut off fee ) $100.00
Reconnect fee after hours $50.00
Santa Clause Sewer Meter
$100 Delinquent Account Fee is added to accounts on the regular
business day following the 25th of each month whether water has
physically been cut off or not. Late Penalty is assessed to accounts
after the 10th of each month
Actual Use at Tier. #3 Plus 50%
Fire Protection Fee
Rate Type
Residential (Single Family and Multi Family)
Commercial - 5,000 sq. foot
Commercial - 5,000 sq. foot or greater
Church
Restaurant or Fuel Station
Self Storage Facility
Hotel / Motel
Fee per month
$2.00 per living unit
$4.00
$10.00
$10.00
$15.00
$15.00
$4.00 per unit
Debris Charge
1.50 (see debris policy)
Water Tap Fee
3/4 Inch
1 Inch
1 1/2 Inch
2 inch
4 Inch
6 Inch
All tap fees will include the cost of hot tap if needed
$400.00
$750.00
$1,500.00
$2,000.00
$6,000.00
$10,000.00
Sewer Tap Fee
4 Inch
6 Inch
8 Inch
8 inches plus ($100 per inch)
$400.00
$600.00
$800.00
Misc. Fees
Water Deposit
Return Check
$100
$35.00
EXHIBIT "A"
Solid Waste
Roll Cart
Garbage Residential
Garbage Commercial
Dumpster
$13.00
$19.00
4yd Dumpster (per pickup. Max 5 times per week. Min 1 time per week
6yd Dumpster (per pickup. Max 5 times per week. Min 1 time per week
8yd Dumpster (per pickup. Max 5 times per week. Min 1 time per week
$55.00
$80.00
$105.00
Commercial Mix Pick up
$135 per haul plus $25 per ton land fill fee
* Due date for the Water and Sewer bill is the 10th of each month. A late fee of 10% shall be assessed
for payments made after the due date. A disconnect for service will be initiated on the regular business
day following the 25th of each month if two months of water bills are due. A $100 Delinquent Account
Fee is required each time the account becomes delinquent to the extent the system initiates a
Delinquent Account Fee.