Aberdeen is adjusting the rates it charges for the services it provides – everything from $10,500 for a new water connection to $1 for bicycle registration – and will lay out its proposed slate of fees in an ordinance to be introduced during Monday night’s city council meeting.
The proposed schedule of fees includes a water use rate of $14.50 for the first 3,500 gallons or less and $4.38 per each additional 1,000 gallons; a sanitary sewer use rate of $13.65 for the first 3,500 gallons or less of metered water and $3.90 per each additional 1,000 gallons of metered water; with nonresident water and sewer user rates being set at 150% of the prevailing use.
Water area connection charges are assessed on all new development and redevelopment. A single family dwelling is considered one Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU) and will be assessed a fee of $10,500. Sanitary sewer area connection charges are also assessed on all new development and redevelopment and will be assessed at $5,400. An EDU is determined to be 250 gallons of water per day.
The full text of the ordinance and schedule of rates and charges is listed below:
Also on the agenda Monday night are proclamations for American Diabetes Week and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County, a Clean Energy Grant presentation, and a capital budget amendment from the Director of Public Works.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in Aberdeen City Hall.
The full agenda is listed below:
CITY OF ABERDEEN COUNCIL AGENDA
Council Chambers
Monday, March 14, 2011, 7:00 p.m.CALL TO ORDER – ROLL CALL
Opening Prayer – Pastor Kenneth Telsee, True Joy Ministries
Pledge of Allegiance – Councilwoman Elliott
Approval of Minutes: Council Meeting, February 28, 2011PRESENTATIONS:
1. Proclamation for American Diabetes Week, Sharon Sheppe
2. Proclamation for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County
3. Presentation – Clean Energy Grant, Kate Autry, Grant CoordinatorPUBLIC HEARINGS: None
PUBLIC COMMENT: No more than five (5) minutes shall be given to any individual speaking unless the Council determines otherwise.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION:
1. Ordinance No. 11-O-03, Amendment to the Code, Chapter A550, Fees (For Introduction)BUSINESS OF THE CITY:
1. Unfinished Business
2. New Business
3. Business from Director of Planning & Community Development
4. Business from Chief of Police
5. Business from Director of Finance
6. Business from Director of Public Works
a. Capital Budget Amendment
7. Business from City ManagerBUSINESS OF COUNCIL:
1. Business from the City Council
2. Business from the MayorANNOUNCEMENTS:
Next Council Work Session / Executive Session: Monday, March 21, 2011 at 4:00 p.m.
Next Council Meeting: Monday, March 28, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.ADJOURNMENT
The city council of Aberdeen needs to be re-educated. The number of empty houses from one end of Bel Air Ave. to the other, the numbers of homes for sale on both sides of Rt.22 and Rt. 40 increase daily. The level of unemployment w/n Aberdeen is growing so quickly, in spite of the increase w/ BRAC, that I question if the council is even speaking to any of the town taxpayers.
I implore all to contact the mayor and council members and tell them the effect the rise in fees and costs will have on individual Aberdeen taxpayers. If you have 3 children w/ 3 bikes, that’s $3.00 in fees. If you want to have a yard sale it’ll cost $5.00. If boy scouts go house to house selling candy or calendars, and girl scouts sell their cookies, it’ll cost a fee, too. The Lion’s club wreath and Christmas tree sale, lets think this through a bit. What do these fees pay for w/n the city administration?
Wait on implementing these fees. They are not needed now.
These fee increases can be stopped by reducing spending in other areas of the city budget. Find the needed money elsewhere w/n your budget and cut, reduce and rethink the need versus want mentality.
If it means some folks will have to be furloughed, so be it.
The city is full of un-employed and under-employed folks now that cannot pay their rent or mortgage or for food and for fuel. Can you, city council, honestly impose more fees on the city residents and businesses without doing major harm to them? I don’t think so.
Please go and visit the food banks, the homeless shelters, the job training sites, the unemployment offices, and then, walk around the streets of Aberdeen, both sides of Rt 40 and all around the Ollies and Home Depot, can you even count the number of wandering young folks, or older folks, too, either looking for work or for trouble?
These fees, what will the funds cover? How will the money for a parade make Aberdeen a better place to live? Will the city have to hire another set of employees to collect the new fees?
This is not a wise, efficient or effective use of taxpayer funds.
But they didn’t raise your taxes! Right?
One idea would be to stop buying all those new cars every year. I saw the city manager driving his new Ford SUV on Sunday. And all I could ask myself was how much did Aberdeen spend unnecessarily on that! Also what about the gas he was using? Certainly not doing any City business cruisi.g around on Sunday afternoon. At $3.50 a gallon should we taxpayers be flipping the bill for City employees to run their errands?
No, they haven’t raised taxes. Jusr everything else.
Correct. Better that taxes were raised, then they would have been deductible from our federal tax obligation. Can’t deduct fees.
Maybe Aberdeen can turn the operation of Ripken Stadium over to the Maryland Stadium Commission. I be they could get the contract re-worked and actually make a profit for a change.