FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – At its regular meeting Wednesday afternoon, the Allen County Regional Water and Sewer District (ACRWSD) approved the transfer of ownership of all the District’s assets to City Utilities.
At its meeting in mid-June, the ACRWSD signed a letter of intent to make the move and subsequently conducted a series of meetings to answer questions for the 3,200 customers that receive sewer service only from ACRWSD.
City Utilities released the following:
In May, in an attempt to help customers, the Allen County Commissioners contributed $5 million to reduce debt which moved the agreement forward.
For the past several years, the ACRWSD had been looking for ways to reduce costs to lower customer fees. Their operation often involved constructing pipes to more remote areas of Allen County, which was costly. In most cases many of the nearly 3200 customers were paying more than $130 a month for sewer services. Under the agreement approved by the ACRWSD, those customers will see a sewer bill reduction of about $50.
“Quality utility service at an affordable price is essential for all Allen County residents. As a regional sewer and water provider, City Utilities’ economies of scale mean service can be provided at a significantly lower fee to District customers,” said Kumar Menon, Director of City Utilities. “This is a solution that will benefit everyone.”
Established in 1979, the ACRWSD is a not-for-profit, independent political subdivision of the State of Indiana, set up to provide sewer and water services for residents in Allen County that are not part of an existing utility.
Moving forward, the ACRWSD and City Utilities will work with the State Revolving fund to work out financing details. The transfer is expected take effect at the end of the year.