Charlotte County Utilities
Expansion Projects - Municipal Service Benefit Units
Pirate Harbor wastewater expansion MSBU
UPDATE: July 2008
What is the Pirate Harbor Wastewater Expansion MSBU? In 2006, the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) approved a Municipal Service Benefit Unit (MSBU) to fund the installation of wastewater infrastructure in Pirate Harbor.
MSBUs are created by County ordinance as a funding mechanism to provide specific services to defined areas. The major benefit is that costs are evenly assessed on each property within the unit. All monies collected within an MSBU must be spent within that MSBU. Funds cannot be transferred or spent on a different area. The annual cost of the projects in each MSBU is divided by the total number of Equivalent Residential Units (ERUs) within that MSBU, resulting in an assessment per ERU. Click here for more information on MSBUs.
What is the status of this project and what happens next? Consultant Boyle Engineering completed the final project design in July 2007, and Mitchell & Stark Construction was selected for the construction portion. Construction began in September 2007 and was completed in June 2008. Currently, we are in the process of obtaining certification to operate from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Certification paperwork will be submitted by the end of July 2008.
Once certification is received, existing homeowners will receive a mandatory connection notice notifying them that wastewater service is available and giving them one year to pay connection fees and request connection to the system. New construction will be required to connect as soon as the home is constructed.
What are the costs associated with the MSBU? Costs associated with the MSBU include design, engineering, surveying, construction, land purchases, if necessary, interest on borrowing and other indirect costs. MSBU assessments appear on the annual property tax bill as a non-ad valorem assessment.
Each year, the MSBU is reconciled and adjustments to the rate are computed. The assessment cannot be raised without public notification and BCC approval. The original assessment to individual Pirate Harbor property owners was $403.24 per ERU, per year for 20 years. Based on the latest adjustment, the proposed assessment for the 2008 tax bills is $346.53 per ERU.
In the second year of the assessment and beyond, property owners have the option of paying the remaining amount in full and without interest on loans not yet taken. Click here for the current pre-payment amount on a property.
What other costs can I expect? The MSBU assessment covers the installation of community infrastructure only, including collection lines, lift stations and other appurtenances needed to serve the community as a whole. At the time of connection to the central collection system, additional costs associated with the installation of an individual low pressure sewer (LPS) system, as well as standard CCU connection fees will be the responsibility of the homeowner. Connection fees are defined and described in CCU’s Rate Resolution and are subject to change by the Board of County Commissioners. Click here to view the current Rate Resolution.
Each homeowner is also responsible for contracting an electrician to create a dedicated electrical circuit for the LPS control panel.
What happens if I don’t connect? Once the wastewater collection system is certified, existing homeowners will receive a mandatory connection notice giving them 365 days to pay connection fees and request connection. At the time this notice is mailed, CCU will record a Notice of Lien on the property, which serves to notify potential buyers of the mandatory connection status. The Environmental Health Department will also be notified that wastewater service is available. From that time on, if an existing septic system requires repair or replacement, the Health Department will not allow a permit to be issued, and the homeowner will be required to connect to the County system.
After 365 days, a second notice will be mailed to those who have not yet requested connection. This second notice gives an additional 20 days to request connection. After 385 days, a Lien is recorded on the property, though the County traditionally does not attempt to collect on that Lien until such time as the property changes hands. Additionally, CCU will begin to assess a monthly Base Facility Charge for wastewater service, which will appear on the monthly utility bill.
Why Low Pressure Sewer (LPS)? LPS has long been identified as the preferred alternative for Pirate Harbor. It has been used successfully and safely throughout our community and has been approved and permitted for Pirate Harbor by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Cost is a predominant factor — estimates from two different engineering firms indicated it would cost at least two times as much to install gravity sewer in Pirate Harbor.
There were also numerous technical and environmental reasons for the selection of LPS. The area has a very high groundwater table, shallow bedrock foundation and unstable soil composition, all of which make LPS the logical alternative. Each individual LPS system contains a small, economical pump to move wastewater into the collection system. This reduces the need for large, expensive community lift stations — only one is included in the Pirate Harbor system design — whereas a gravity system would have required numerous lift stations, manholes and larger diameter collection mains, all of which would add significantly to the overall project cost.
As part of the Pirate Harbor wastewater expansion, the County has installed all necessary collection infrastructures, up to the connection point for each property. Each homeowner will be responsible for the cost of an individual LPS system, which CCU will maintain as part of its wastewater system.
For existing homes, once the homeowner pays the CCU wastewater connection fees, staff will make an appointment to install the LPS system. Installation should take no more than a few hours. For new construction, CCU will provide a list of approved LPS contractors and will inspect and approve all work once the installation is complete. Click here for more information on low pressure sewer.
How much electricity does a LPS system use? The LPS system used by CCU requires a minimal amount of energy to operate. It includes a small, ¼ to ½ horsepower pump. Every time you use approximately 100 to 150 gallons of water, the pump will briefly turn on and shut off to pump water from the tank to our collection main. Based on normal water usage for a family of two, the pump will run only about two to three hours per month.
For more information: If you have further questions about the Pirate Harbor wastewater expansion, please contact Leigh Sprimont, CCU Community Relations & Water Conservation Manager, at 941.764.4520 or via e-mail at Leigh.Sprimont@CharlotteFL.com.
