City staff recommends separate sprinkler meter


Assistant City Manager Frank Frazier recommended a separate meter for sprinkler systems at the Henderson City Council workshop meeting on Tuesday, May 27, 2008.

According to Frazier, the council has adopted a new policy every year for the issuing of sewer credits to customers who water their lawns and claim that the water does not enter the sewage system.

The recently promoted assistant city manager told members that there is a formula to calculate the amount of the credit using the usage history of the customer. If there is a peak in usage, the customer is credited.

When asked by member Mike Rainey who has the authority to issue the credit, he was told by Acting Finance Director Sandra Wilkerson that it can be issued “by any of the women who work at the window”.

Frazier told the council that he hopes to bring back a policy by the next council meeting.

Rainey told Frazier that the adjustment to the sewer bill need to be based “on what they owe [the city]. He said he did not want customers who are behind “a couple of months” to come to the city and say that their water bill is high because they’ve been watering.

Council member Mary Emma Evans argued that it is not fair for the city to categorize who is a bad customer and who is a good customer.

Member Garry Daeke opined that if a customer is in arrears for one month, maybe he or she should not get the credit; that is, if they’re behind, maybe they should not use the extra water.

Wilkerson noted that there is a $12 late fee for being delinquent on the city’s water bill.