During Monday’s meeting, the Plainfield Township Board also approved changes to sewer rate structures to reflect changes in consumer behavior.

The Board voted to reduce the rate for sewer-only customers due to lower average usage of all customers in the system. Sewer usage is tracked through water usage, so customers on sewer without municipal water must pay a flat rate based on the average usage of all residential customers.

With average residential water consumption dropping, the Board felt it was only fair to the sewer-only customers to drop their flat rate as well.

The board also approved decreasing the minimum sewer usage to better reflect current usage trends among residential customers. Sewer charges are based on winter water usage, when many retirees have traveled south and have minimal to no use of the system. Township officials recommended changing this method by decreasing sewer minimums by 1,000 gallons over the next three years so as to spread the impact.

To learn more, you can read a detailed report here.