A row of pear trees along E. Oak Island Dr. on Oak Island Wednesday, March 19, 2008. Oak Island’s sewer proect is going to cut down many of the trees that were planted a decade ago as part of a sidewalk project. Staff Photo By Matt Born/Wilmington Star-News.
Q. Oak Island raised sewer tax more than 400 percent for vacant lots but will not charge developed lots. Something wrong here? Where is the fairness?
A. According to David Ennis, the content editor who oversees our regional coverage:
Town officials say all property owners have been paying the fee, as the StarNews reported in this story, but owners of undeveloped property were paying less than their fair share before the fee changes were instituted. Here’s an except:
While all property owners are billed for the sewer district fee, a credit is issued at the end of the year for property owners with developed lots who are hooked into the system, Mayor Betty Wallace said in an email Monday. That’s because they pay the fee in installments as part of their monthly bills.
What the sewer district fee increase does is increase the debt service paid by undeveloped parcel owners, who were paying less into the system in previous years. Wallace noted the increase helps institute a fairer debt payment plan amongst all residents.
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Date posted: October 3, 2012
User-contributed question by:
L Gaydon
“Fair” share is in the eye of the beholder. I say full share which based on the Utility Finance Testbed we created last summer is $48/mo or $576 per year for new utility service area debt payment. Unfortunately Town staff could not separate old utility system service area property owners from new utility system service area property owners so all property owners in any Town utility service area will pay the full amount.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_LMS6SWPemuU0dNTkt5ZWN6Tjg/edit