Chapter 18.24
DOMESTIC WATER RATES AND CHARGES
Sections:
18.24.020 Water rate schedule (metered).
18.24.030 Water – Economic development rate.
18.24.040 Users outside of city limits – Contracts authorized.
18.24.050 Water facilities assessment.
18.24.060 Effective date of assessment.
18.24.070 Imposition of adjusted facilities assessment.
18.24.075 Latecomer agreements.
18.24.010 Delinquency.
Bills are due and payable upon receipt, and are delinquent after 20 days from date of billing. Late fees and interest will be charged on all delinquent accounts according to RMC 3.30.040. Failure to receive bill will not release customer from payment of the obligation due. [Ord. 06-04; Ord. 22-11 § 1.01; Ord. 26-12 § 1.01; Ord. 2022-11 § 2; Ord. 2023-28 § 7].
18.24.020 Water rate schedule (metered).
A. Residential, multifamily, commercial and large user customers serviced through a water meter will be charged daily for metered water consumption on the basis of Table 1 below, which includes applicable taxes (effective for all utility bills generated on or after December 1, 2023):
|
RESIDENTIAL, MULTIFAMILY AND COMMERCIAL RATES |
|
|---|---|
|
Meter Size |
Rate |
|
1" or less |
$0.8071 |
|
1 1/2" |
$2.6893 |
|
2" |
$4.3003 |
|
3" |
$8.0630 |
|
4" |
$13.4384 |
|
6" |
$26.8767 |
|
8" or larger |
$43.0027 |
|
Fire hydrant meter monthly rent charge |
$30.00 |
|
Additional Charge per 100 cf |
Rate |
|---|---|
|
Residential and fire hydrant meter |
$0.85 |
|
Multifamily and irrigation |
$0.75 |
|
Commercial/municipal |
$0.65 |
|
LARGE USER RATES |
|
|---|---|
|
Meter Size |
Rate |
|
1" or less |
$7.0948 |
|
1 1/2" |
$23.6515 |
|
2" |
$49.8099 |
|
3" |
$70.9545 |
|
4" |
$118.2575 |
|
6" |
$236.5151 |
|
8" or larger |
$378.4241 |
|
Additional charge per 100 cf: |
0.60 |
B. The city may furnish water to customers at locations outside the corporate limits of the city. The daily rates for water furnished to out-of-city customers shall be the rates set forth in this title for the applicable class of service plus 50 percent of such rates.
C. Residential customers serviced through a single meter will be billed at the one-inch or less base rate per living unit, plus consumption charges. Consumption charges will be billed to the account to which the meter is addressed.
D. Commercial and mixed-use customers serviced through a single meter, where multiple units are served, will be billed the appropriate commercial rate, plus consumption charges. This utility charge, including all consumption charges, will be billed to the one account where the meter is addressed.
E. Condominiums and townhouses, which share a single meter, will be billed at the multifamily rate with the bill going to a homeowners’ association or like account. Condos and townhouses which are individually metered will be billed at the residential rate with charges based on the meter size.
F. Per Chapter 3.29 RMC, a discount shall be applied to the rates specified in this section for qualifying low-income citizens.
G. Commercial customers utilizing the domestic water system for irrigation purposes as described in RMC 18.12.086 will be charged the appropriate commercial rates for usage during the months of April through October of each year. The appropriate commercial rates will be charged if consumption is detected outside of this time period. [Ord. 80; Ord. 609; Ord. 36-74; Ord. 62-77; Ord. 42-79; Ord. 63-82; Ord. 19-84; Ord. 43-84; Ord. 19-85; Ord. 29-90; Ord. 7-92; Ord. 19-93; Ord. 54-94; Ord. 29-95; Ord. 47-96; Ord. 29-98; Ord. 17-03; Ord. 06-04; Ord. 07-05; Ord. 05-06; Ord. 06-08; Ord. 29-08; Ord. 22-11 § 1.01; Ord. 26-12 § 1.01; Ord. 43-14 § 1.02; Ord. 2022-11 § 2; Ord. 2023-28 § 7; Ord. 2024-34 § 5].
18.24.030 Water – Economic development rate.
A. Terms and conditions of negotiated rate will be by contract.
B. Will be based upon the benefits derived from the new load and/or employment opportunities that expand the local economy.
C. Will utilize marginal costing concept. [Ord. 31-96; Ord. 29-08; Ord. 2022-11 § 2; Ord. 2023-28 § 7].
18.24.040 Users outside of city limits – Contracts authorized.
The city manager may, with the approval of the city council, enter into contracts with customers at locations outside the corporate limits of the city, at a rate lower than those prescribed in RMC 18.24.020, but not less than those prescribed for the users of the same class located in the city, when the extraordinarily high volume of use warrants such a lower rate. [Ord. 609; Ord. 29-98; Ord. 29-08; Ord. 2022-11 § 2; Ord. 2023-28 § 7].
18.24.050 Water facilities assessment.
Water transmission, storage, source of supply and frontage facilities charges shall be assessed and collected as a condition precedent to providing water service connection by the city of Richland according to the following table:
|
Size of Water Meter |
Facilities Assessment for Indoor and Nonirrigation Uses Only1 |
Facilities Assessment for Uses That Include Outdoor Landscape Irrigation and Car Washes2 |
Facilities Assessment for Badger South3,4 |
Frontage Charge5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3/4" |
$2,100.00 |
$2,990.00 |
$2,235.00 |
$15/ft. |
|
1" |
2,100.00 |
2,990.00 |
2,235.00 |
15/ft. |
|
1 1/2" |
6,993.00 |
9,957.00 |
7,443.00 |
15/ft. |
|
2" |
11,193.00 |
15,937.00 |
11,913.00 |
15/ft. |
|
3" |
21,000.00 |
29,900.00 |
22,350.00 |
15/ft. |
|
4" |
By Contract |
By Contract |
By Contract |
15/ft. |
|
6" |
By Contract |
By Contract |
By Contract |
By Contract |
1 This charge is for residential and commercial lots which have a separate irrigation source and typically do not have a high demand water usage season.
2 This charge is for residential and commercial lots which do not have a separate irrigation source or do have a high demand water usage season (i.e., a car wash).
3 The Badger South facilities assessments will be collected by the city as part of the building permit approval process. The city will reimburse the Badger Mountain Irrigation District $300.00 per ERU (ERU is an equivalent residential unit or a service provided by up to one-inch meter size) on the first 350 ERUs collected and reimburse $192.00 per ERU thereafter.
4 The Badger South area is defined as shown in Exhibit A attached to the ordinance codified in this section.
5 The frontage fee shall apply to all connections to the public water system except:
A. When the existing main crosses the entire property frontage and was installed by the property owner or developer of the property; or
B. When the existing main crosses the entire property frontage and was included in an approved latecomer agreement.
For a corner lot, the frontage fee shall be calculated on the longest side of the lot.
The city, as part of the Tri-Cities Estates Local Improvement District (LID) No. 190, constructed water main lines in Oxford Avenue and Oregon Street. Three residences did not participate in the water portion of the LID. The following three properties are required to pay a lump sum frontage charge of $3,166.45, in addition to the applicable meter charge and facility assessment, at the time of connection to the city water system. These three properties are: 1366 Baywood, 1381 Baywood, and 1391 Baywood. On January 1st of each year, beginning in 2009, the lump sum amount shall be adjusted to compensate for inflation as documented in the Consumer Price Index – Urban (CPI-U) using the Pacific Cities, West – B/C data for July of the previous year. As of January 1, 2022, the rate has been updated to $4,150.09.
* Editor’s note: The Tri-Cities Estates water latecomer rates in RMC 18.24.050 were updated on January 1, 2022.
The water facilities assessment may be waived by the Richland city council when providing a water service connection, or connections, to any municipally owned public park, where the cost of constructing such municipally owned public park, or a portion of such cost, has been borne by the property owners specially benefitted thereby and may likewise be waived by the Richland city council when providing water service connection, or connections, to previously existing residences where the cost of providing a water service connection, or connections, is paid in whole or in part by a state or federal grant-in-aid community rehabilitation, or to newly constructed residences where the cost of providing a water service connection, or connections, is paid in whole or in part by a state or federal grant to provide housing for low income families or handicapped persons and may likewise be waived by Richland city council when providing a water service connection or connections for new publicly funded facilities built for public use. [Ord. 11-76; Ord. 21-77; Ord. 66-77; Ord. 14-85; Ord. 10-91; Ord. 12-94; Ord. 06-04; Ord. 38-07; Ord. 29-08; Ord. 22-10 § 1.01; Ord. 11-12 § 1; Ord. 57-15 § 1; Ord. 2022-11 § 2; Ord. 2023-28 § 7].
18.24.060 Effective date of assessment.
The water transmission, storage and source of supply facilities assessment as described in RMC 18.24.050 is imposed upon all property owners who have requested a new water service connection or increased capacity water service by their purchase of a water services connection permit on or after December 9, 1975; provided, however, that in no event shall such assessment be charged where the actual connection was made prior to the effective date of the ordinance codified in RMC 18.24.050 through 18.24.070. Such assessment shall become due and owing at the time the water services connection permit is obtained; provided further, that in those instances where the permit was obtained prior to the effective date of the ordinance codified in RMC 18.24.050 through 18.24.070, such fee shall become due at the time the actual connection is made. [Ord. 11-76 § 1.02; Ord. 12-94; Ord. 29-08; Ord. 22-10 § 1.01; Ord. 2022-11 § 2; Ord. 2023-28 § 7].
18.24.070 Imposition of adjusted facilities assessment.
All existing customers, notwithstanding their exemption from the imposition of a facilities assessment by virtue of having received a meter connection prior to the effective date of the ordinance codified in RMC 18.24.050 through 18.24.070, shall be required to pay an adjusted facilities assessment where an increased capacity water service connection permit is requested after December 9, 1975; provided, however, that in no event shall such an assessment be made where the actual increased capacity connection is made prior to the effective date of the ordinance codified in RMC 18.24.050 through 18.24.070. The amount to be assessed in such instances shall be the difference between the facilities charge that would have been required for the earlier installed service and that charge imposed upon the size water service connection installed.
A customer having paid an initial water facilities assessment shall also be required to pay an adjusted facilities assessment where an increased capacity water service connection permit is obtained after the effective date of the ordinance codified in RMC 18.24.050 through 18.24.070. The adjusted facilities charge shall be determined as provided in this section. [Ord. 11-76; Ord. 12-94; Ord. 29-08; Ord. 22-10 § 1.01; Ord. 2022-11 § 2; Ord. 2023-28 § 7].
18.24.075 Latecomer agreements.
Any developer using private funds to construct utility system improvements in the city or within the city’s utility service area may request to enter into a latecomer agreement with the city in order to recover a pro rata share of the costs of construction from other property owners that will later derive a benefit from the utility system improvements made by the developer. The procedure for entering into such an agreement is administered by the city and provided in Chapter 3.10 RMC. [Ord. 17-11 § 1.04; Ord. 2022-11 § 2; Ord. 2023-28 § 7].
18.24.080 Severability.
The invalidity of any section, subsection, provision, clause or portion thereof, or the invalidity of the application thereof to any person or circumstances, shall not affect the validity of the remainder of this chapter or the validity of its application to other persons or circumstances. [Ord. 11-76 § 1.07; Ord. 44-78 § 1.01; Ord. 12-94; Ord. 54-94; Ord. 29-08; Ord. 22-10 § 1.01; Ord. 2022-11 § 2; Ord. 2023-28 § 7].