November -
December
2011
RAIN GARDENS are
shallow depressions landscaped with native plants. They
are designed to catch rainwater runoff from impervious
surfaces such as roofs, walkways, and driveways. Rain
gardens reduce flooding problems and offer
low-maintenance landscaping. |
Commissioner's Corner
Ron Nowicki
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 With
all of the issues of national, state, and regional
concern vying for our attention, it doesn’t come as
much of a surprise that the District tends to
operate somewhat “below the radar” when it comes to
visibility among the governmental entities that
serve us. Although our focus at the District is
narrow, we do provide critical utility services to
more than a hundred thousand customers in our
service area. Because clean water and reliable sewer
service mean so much to the area, I wanted to use
this Commissioner Corner as an opportunity to let
you know something about the Lakehaven Utility
District.
The District exists as the
municipal offspring from the merger of King County
Water District No. 124, itself a product of a number
of water district and water cooperative mergers,
into the Lakehaven Sewer District. The Lakehaven
Sewer District traces its roots back to February 27,
1956, when the King County Council officially
incorporated Lakehaven as a municipal corporation of
the State of Washington. With the origin of the
water utilities going back into the 1940’s, it is
safe to say that the District has played a long term
role in the development of this community.
The District is organized and
takes its basic authority for water and sewer
governance under Chapter 57 of the Revised Code of
Washington. As a special purpose municipal
corporation, we have only the specific authority and
areas of jurisdiction granted under state law.
While we are permitted to form and operate street
lighting systems, our primary responsibility is to
provide water and wastewater services within
approximately thirty-five square miles of southern
King County and northern Pierce County. We do not
have the ability to tax our customers and generate
our revenues only from the rates and connection
charges we collect from property served by the
systems. In corresponding fashion, the monies we
collect are spent only on items that are related to
the provision of water and sewer services.
We are governed by an elected
Board of Commissioners. The Board is comprised of
five members, who are elected to staggered six year
terms. The Board holds regular meetings on the
second and fourth Thursday of each month at 6:00
p.m. The meetings are open to the public and are
held at the Lakehaven Center, which is located
adjacent to French Lake Park (off of 1st Avenue
South).
I am confident that I speak
for the other Board members when I say that we serve
the owners of the utilities. The owners are the
customers that have paid for the water and sewer
systems over the many years of their development and
continue to contribute to the District’s ongoing
operations through the payment of rates. I have had
the privilege to serve as one of your five
commissioners for the past six years. It has been a
great experience, and I want to invite you to come
to our Board meetings if you have questions,
comments or concerns about your District.
Have a wonderful holiday
season!
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UPDATE ON RATES AND
CHARGES
During the months of November and December, the Board will be
reviewing the District’s monthly rates, fees, Capital Facilities
Charges and the Capacity Rental Program for the water and sewer
systems. The current plan is to have an update of each in place for
the beginning of 2012.
Rates: The current rate resolution
calls for a rate increase for water and sewer service for 2012. For
single family residential customers, the increase is just under 7%
for water service and approximately 3% for sewer service. This adds
up to an extra $1.22 per month for the average water customer and
$1.54 per month for the average sewer customer. Although it is too
early to tell at the time this article was prepared (mid-October),
an early review of the revenue requirements for the water and sewer
systems suggests that a small additional increment of increase may
be necessary for 2012. This is more a likelihood for water rates.
The Board will be reviewing ways to reduce the costs driving these
increases as well as the possible alternatives for spreading rate
increases over future years in an effort to minimize increases in
any single year.
Fees: The District periodically reviews
the fees it charges for services not included in the rates. These
tend to apply more to developers and new customers. It appears that
certain fees may rise and some may decrease, but it is anticipated
that most changes will be minimal.
Capital Facilities Charges: The
District’s Capital Facilities Charges (CFC) are established as the
proportionate cost of the facilities of general benefit that a
property uses for water and/or sewer service and are typically
collected at the time of initial connection. These are reviewed
every other year to ensure that they keep up with new facilities
that are added, or are planned to be added, to the systems. It is
anticipated that the water CFC, which is currently at $3,097 per
Equivalent Residential Unit, will rise significantly in response to
the twenty to twenty five million dollars the District will spend on
the filtration plant for the Second Supply Pipeline. Any changes to
the sewer CFC should be much smaller.
Capacity Rental Program: On January 1,
2012, the District will begin collecting CFC capacity rent from all
property owners in the District using more capacity in the water
and/or sewer systems than was originally acquired. The amount of
excess capacity will be determined by using a rolling twelve month
average of consumption. Additional “buffers” have been included to
reduce the impact of capacity rent and ensure that only those
properties using significantly more capacity than purchased will be
billed for rent. You may want to review earlier editions of the
Newsletter, available online @ www.lakehaven.org for additional
information. We will continue to update you throughout 2012.
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CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM CHRISTMAS
FAMILY & FOOD BARREL
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Each year, District employees adopt several families in need at
Christmas. Gifts are donated for the families and delivered a week
before the holiday. In addition, employees attempt to assist
customers who, through a variety of circumstances, are unable to pay
their water/sewer bill. To help these customers, please consider
making a tax-deductible donation to Lakehaven Utility District's
Customer Assistance Program.
Thank you to the following area businesses who provided
donations for our Christmas families: Jimmy Mac’s,
Starbucks, Red Lobster, Billy McHale’s, Black Bear Diner,
Zero Freeze Ice Cream, Chipolte Mexican Restaurant, Trader
Joe’s, Dash Point Chiropractic, and Century Theaters.
Also, in recognition that many in our community have extra
needs during the Holiday season, the District is providing
space for a donation barrel in the Customer Service area of
the main office on behalf of the Multi-Service Center until
12/31/2011. The office address is 31627 First Avenue South,
Federal Way, WA.
Thank you!
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KIDS’ CORNER - WINTERIZE WATER PIPES
Prevent pipes from freezing or breaking by:
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Insulating exposed pipes and
faucets.
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Disconnecting and draining
hoses.
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Wrapping outside faucets with
rags or by buying a Styrofoam hose cover.
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Your Board of Commissioners
Ron Nowicki
- President
Len Englund
- Vice President
Chuck Gibson - Secretary
Tim McClain - Commissioner
Don Miller - Commissioner
Regular
Board of Commissioners meetings are held
the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month.
These meetings are held
at the Lakehaven Center at:
Lakehaven Center
31531 First Ave. S.
Federal Way at 6 p.m.
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