Sewer billing rules may change for minimum fees and seasonal use
Plainfield Township is considering changes to its sewer billing procedures to better align with its recent switch to monthly billing. The proposal would eliminate a year-round minimum charge, which currently affects seasonal residents with zero water use in some months. It would also establish separate billing rules for summer and winter to avoid charging for water used for outdoor irrigation.
Timeline
- Agenda posted from agenda · published May 7, 2026
- Meeting scheduled Upcoming from meeting overview
Key facts
- The proposal aims to adjust sewer billing procedures after the township moved from quarterly to monthly billing.
- The proposed changes would eliminate the year-round minimum sewer-use amount.
- Summer sewer use (May-September) would be billed based on a customer's average winter water use.
- Winter use (October-April) would be billed based on actual water consumption.
- The winter average would be calculated using average monthly water use from October through April, with a calculation floor of 2,000 gallons.
- The change is intended to better align billing with actual sewer use, particularly for seasonal residents and during peak irrigation season.
Discretion or exceptions
- The primary change creates a distinction between summer and winter billing methods to account for seasonal water use patterns.
Who could be affected
- All Plainfield Township sewer customers
- Seasonal residents
- Residents who use water for outdoor irrigation in the summer
What could change
- The current year-round minimum sewer charge would be removed. This could lower bills for customers with very low or zero water use in some months.
- Sewer bills for summer months would be calculated based on a winter average, separating the cost from high-volume summer activities like watering lawns.
- A 2,000-gallon minimum would be used to calculate a customer's 'winter average rate,' but during the winter months, if a customer's actual usage is below 2,000 gallons, their bill would reflect their actual, lower usage.
What to watch
The Board of Trustees is scheduled to consider approving these changes at its meeting on May 11, 2026. This item is on the consent agenda, which is typically for routine matters and may be approved in a single vote with other items without separate discussion, unless a board member requests to debate it.
Supporting records
These related records help explain the item, including the agenda listing, staff explanation, and draft text.
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Approve the changes to the sewer use billing procedures
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Recommendation Staff recommends the following changes: Remove the year-round minimum sewer-use amount. Set the summer sewer-use period as May through September, billed using each customer's winter-average water use (to account for irrigation). Calculate the winter average using average monthly water use from October through April, with a minimum of 2,000 gallons. During the winter period (October-April), customers w…
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Requested Action Staff requests Board approval to: Remove the year-round minimum sewer-use amount. Establish a 2,000-gallon minimum for the winter-average calculation (October-April average monthly water use). Set the summer use period as May through September, billed using the October-April winter-average amount.
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Background The Township meters water service but does not meter sewer service, so sewer use is based on water use. Because summer water use is often higher due to irrigation (and not all of that water enters the sewer system), the Township has historically billed sewer charges using an average based on winter water consumption. The Township also applied a minimum sewer-use amount of 6,000 gallons per quarter. After…
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Purpose The purpose of this memo is to recommend an adjustment to the Sewer Use billing procedure following the transition from quarterly to monthly billing.
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Rationale These changes better match sewer billing to actual customer use, particularly for seasonal residents who may have months with no water use. Using a winter-average amount for May through September aligns with peak irrigation season, when a larger share of water use does not enter the sewer system.
Meeting history
Agenda and minutes records showing when this item appeared and what procedural step it reached over time.
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The item appeared on the Board of Trustees Meeting agenda: Approve the changes to the sewer use billing procedures Approve the changes to the sewer use billing procedures
Accuracy note
Civic Desk summarizes public records to make local issues easier to follow. Mistakes, omissions, or outdated details are possible, especially when an issue is still moving through meetings. Before relying on an item for an important decision, verify the details in the linked source documents or with the township directly.