Derry Township Muncipal Authority

March 9, 2017Dear *** ***:Because the Derry Township Municipal Authority (DTMA) is considered to he a politicalsubdivision of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we do not realistically fall under the purviewof the Revdex.comNever-the-less, we are a customer driven municipal utility which takes pride
on ourquality customer service and are therefore providing this response to Complaint ID ***submitted to the Revdex.com on March 7, 2018.We are sympathetic to the distress expressed by the customer complaint as it relates to the billsfor the sanitary sewer and stormwater management fees received from the Derry TownshipMunicipal Authority (DTMA) for services renderedUnfortunately DTMA operates under a set ofcomprehensive Rates, Rules, and Regulations (RRRs) that specifically preclude the cessation ofbilling for our services in the instance of vacant or unused properties.By way of an explanation, the Derry Township Municipal Authority was created under thePennsylvania Municipal Authority’s Act in for the purpose of financing, owning andoperating a sewage treatment and collection facilityin 2016, an amendment to DTMA’s Articlesof Incorporation was approved by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to include stormwatermanagement including the operation and maintenance of all stormwater infrastructure withinthe Township of Derry.Sanitary Sewer ChargesThe RRRs adopted by the DTMA Board of Directors establishes that sanitary sewer charges consistof a flat charge of $per month and a variable volume charge of $for each 1,gallonsbased upon an actual metered water consumption used during the period immediately precedingthe period that the sewer bill is rendered(Note that a rate increase became effective on March1, increasing the flat charge to $per month and $per 1,gallons consumed.)A flat fee is charged whether or not sewer is used by the residentAll customers connected tothe system are charged this fee on a monthly basisThe flat charge revenue is used by DTMA tomaintain the sanitary sewer facilities required to serve the entire customer baseThese costsinclude maintaining two wastewater treatment plants and fourteen pump stations, as well asover miles of sanitary sewer main and miles of stormwater linesAdditionally, a portionof each flat charge covers repayment of the DTMA’s long term debtThe use of a fiat charge is acommon practice among municipal utilities and certainly not a unique approach to utility billing.Our review of the Customer's history revealed that the account has been charged for only theflat rate dating since June of and because the property was not occupied, there were novariable metered water consumption charges.Our RRRs explicitly state "that there shall be no abatement of sewer rentals and other applicablecharges imposed [by this Resolution] because a property connected to the Sewer System shallhave been vacant or unoccupied".Stormwater FeesAll properties, with a minimum of square feet of impervious area, are charged a stormwater fee.impervious area is defined as an area that does not allow or allows only with great difficulty the movementof water into the groundlmpervious areas include, but are not limited to: roofs, outdoor living spaces,patios, garages, storage sheds and similar structures, parking or driveway areas, and any private streetsand sidewalksAny travel areas initially proposed to be gravel or crushed stone shall he assumed to beimpervious areas.For the Customer’s property DTMA charges a fee of $per month and is dependent on the imperviousparcel coverageSimilar to sanitary sewer charges, the property is charged a stormwater fee whether thebuilding is occupied or vacant.SummationThe sewer and stormwater charges are based on DTMA's infrastructure and management costs.DTMA's charges were calculated based on cost of service studies performed by a qualifiedindependent Rate ConsultantsDTMA must "be ready" at all times to serve the needs of allcustomersin the case of the sewer charges, the management and maintenance of the sewersystems is not lessened by individual unoccupied buildingThe requirement to meet full use ofthese two systems must be available at all times.Lastly, DTMA‘s regulations state that the charges due and payable to the Authority shall becollected and collection thereof enforced in the manner provided by law for assessment andcollection of charges and the enforcement thereof through Municipal Liens and otherwise underthe laws of the Commonwealth of PennsylvaniaThe Customer was seven months late on theirpayments and our contacts with the Customer were merely part of our collection activitiesTheCustomer did recently pay their outstanding bills and by doing so avoided additional expense hadwe filed with the District Justice office.Thank you for bringing the Customer’s concerns to the attention of DTMAWe take all feedbackseriously.Sincerely,Thomas M.Deputy Director