Public Works Department

Frequently Asked Questions About the Sewer Project - Additional FAQs (5/1/11)

Download Updated FAQs [PDF]

Q: When and why was this project originally approved?
Q: This project was supposed to be completed several years ago. What caused the delay?
Q: If the sewer system is installed on my street but I do not connect, am I still required to pay the assessment?
Q: But if my septic system is still working fine, am I required to connect to the sewer?
Q: How much does it cost to connect to the sewer (excluding the cost of the assessment)?
Q: Can town employees hook up my sewer connection for me?
Q: How were the assessments calculated?
Q: The project was originally supposed to cost all residents in the sewer district about the same amount, but Phase 2 assessments are several thousand dollars higher than Phase 1. What accounts for the difference?
Q: Is this assessment final?
Q: Do I have to pay the annual assessment in one payment, or can I spread it out and pay it semiannually or quarterly?
Q: What will happen if I do not pay my assessment?
Q: What will the interest rate be?
Q: The sewers on my street were installed several years ago, but the roads were never repaired. Why not?
Q: Why wasn't the cost of repairing the roads included in the cost of the sewers in the first place?

----------

Q:  When did Phase I begin?
Q:  How long will Phase I take?
Q:  What will the project in the streets entail? Will roads be closed? Will I be able to use my driveway?
Q:  How soon after the sewer line passes my street will I be able to hook up?
Q:  What can I expect to pay for an assessment?
Q:  What can I expect to pay for the hookup from the street to my home?
Q:  Do I have to hook up? What if I've had extensive repairs to my system recently?
Q:  How will sewer usage costs be determined?
Q:  When will Phase II begin?

Q: When and why was this project originally approved?

The project was discussed at several town meetings in the late 1990's and was eventually brought to a town referendum on October 9, 2003. It was approved by a vote of 826 in favor and 452 opposed. The original approved cost was $19,760,000.

There were multiple concerns that led to the approval of the sewer project. Chief among them was the growing number of septic field failures in the Stony Hill area, combined with new state regulations that prohibit the replacement of septic fields on smaller sized lots due to poor drainage and soil conditions.

Q: This project was supposed to be completed several years ago. What caused the delay?

Following the completion of Phase 1, several problems were encountered that caused substantial delays. One was the failure to include the cost of obtaining easements into the original budget. Lengthy negotiations with many property owners were necessary in order to obtain the easements. Some negotiations are still ongoing today.

Another factor was the need to reengineer parts of the system. When construction began, it was discovered that some portions of the system that were designed to be "gravity fed" were impossible to build, which necessitated the design and construction of a pumping station at an unanticipated site that took longer to complete.

Q: If the sewer system is installed on my street but I do not connect, am I still required to pay the assessment?

Yes. All property owners who have the sewer system available to them are required to pay their share of the cost, whether they are connected to the system or not. This is governed by state law.

Q: But if my septic system is still working fine, am I required to connect to the sewer?

Not at this time. Although you will be required to pay for the assessment, you are not required to connect to the municipal sewer system right away. If in the future, the Public Utilities Commission decides it must compel property owners to connect, whether for public health factors or some other reason, a public hearing must be held first and you will be notified, by mail, in order to give you an opportunity to respond. If your septic system fails, however, you will not be granted approval by the Health Department to replace the system; you must connect to the municipal system.

Q: How much does it cost to connect to the sewer (excluding the cost of the assessment)?

The cost of the permit to connect is $700, plus the fee your plumbing contractor will charge to connect your home to the sewer line. We encourage all residents to obtain estimates from several plumbing contractors, as their prices for this work will vary. The cost of the permit includes a water meter that will be used to calculate your quarterly sewer bill. If you already have the proper type of water meter, cost of your permit will be reduced to $550.

Q: Can town employees hook up my sewer connection for me?

No. The connection across private property from the home to the sewer line is the responsibility of each homeowner.

Q: How were the assessments calculated?

Each home was assessed a charge of $8,500 as the basic cost share for installing the system. The remainder of the cost is assessed to each homeowner on the basis of the value of the home as it appears on the town's Grand List. The two figures combined will be the total cost of your assessment, prior to any adjustments that may be necessary before the system is complete.

Q: The project was originally supposed to cost all residents in the sewer district about the same amount, but Phase 2 assessments are several thousand dollars higher than Phase 1. What accounts for the difference?

There were several reasons, primarily the additional cost of obtaining easements (there were more than thirty easements in Phase 2, each of which were negotiated in good faith, with some requiring special restoration or other consideration to the property owner) and the unplanned additional cost of the design and construction of pumping stations, as noted above. Moreover, material costs, much of which is related to the price of petroleum, has escalated sharply since the project was originally approved. One additional factor that the Commission had to take into consideration is inflation, and in this regard, the average assessment in Phase 1 and Phase 2 are almost the same, as the Phase 1 assessments have been in place for several years now.

Q: Is this assessment final?

Unfortunately, it may not be final. Because there are some easements still under negotiation and some construction in difficult areas not yet complete, those final costs are not yet known. In addition, the costs of the pumping station and other engineering changes noted above need to be "balanced" so that all property owners share those unplanned costs equitably. Because of this, your assessment may be adjusted at a later date once the entire system is completed.

Q: Do I have to pay the annual assessment in one payment, or can I spread it out and pay it semiannually or quarterly?

Many residents have inquired about the possibility of quarterly or biannual installments. However, Connecticut General Statutes specify one payment per year, so the town unable to grant this request.

Q: What will happen if I do not pay my assessment?

In the event of non payment, a lien will be placed against your property. Liens are filed once a year on the unpaid installment balance and are subject to an additional $24.00 lien fee. All balances including billed principal, interest and fees must be paid to release a lien. Past Due installments are subject to interest at the rate of 1.5% per month from the due date as required by state law. There is a minimum interest charge of $5.00. Delinquencies that have not been resolved for an extended period of time could result in other action including collection agencies, property tax sale or foreclosure.

Q: What will the interest rate be?

The interest rate varies each year over the life of the bond, ranging from 2.25% of the schedule to 4.25%. Some consideration given to using an average interest rate at about 3.5% over the life of the bond to make calculations simpler, but this would in effect overcharge some residents if they happened to sell their home before the assessment was paid in full. The Commission recently voted to charge only the exact interest rate each year as it appears on the debt service schedule to insure residents are charged the lowest possible amount each year.

Q: The sewers on my street were installed several years ago, but the roads were never repaired. Why not?

As noted above, the entire project has been delayed, which also affected any plans for road reconstruction. Unfortunately, during some phases of sewer construction, the town did not set aside the money needed to cover the cost of roadway resurfacing. This is the reason that in the summer of 2010, the Board of Selectmen proposed a bond issue to cover the cost of a comprehensive four-year project to resurface about 30 miles of Bethel roads, including those that were affected by the Stony Hill sewer project. The Board of Finance did not allow the full project to go to a referendum, but did allow a one-year road project that will repair about seven miles of roadway, some of which is in the Stony Hill area. This was overwhelmingly approved by voters in the Fall of 2010 and work is now underway. More details can be found at the town's website: www.bethelct.org. The Board of Selectmen plan to bring the remainder of the road proposal back for Board of Finance reconsideration again this coming fall.

Q: Why wasn't the cost of repairing the roads included in the cost of the sewers in the first place?

It is not proper or fair to assess residents within the sewer district for the entire cost of resurfacing public roads that are the responsibility of the town to maintain. Assessments should include the cost of the repair to the street surface where the road was trenched and patched, and those costs have already been included in the assessments.

In most cases, this type of "trench repair" is adequate. However, during the Stony Hill installation, many of the roads were found to have little of the proper substrate material underneath the roadway to keep the surface stable. Also, buried debris, such as large boulders that should have been removed before the roads were originally paved, high water tables and poor drainage are additional factors that caused settling of the road surface following installation. These factors made it impossible to simply cut and then cleanly repave a narrow trench. In addition, some of the roads in Stony Hill were already due for substantial repair or resurfacing at the time the project began. The sewer installations and the town's failure to properly budget for those repairs in the past has contributed greatly to the poor condition of those roads.

Q:  When did Phase I begin?

The Contract for Phase I was signed in March 2005. The General Contractor is M. Rondano, Inc. of Norwalk, CT. They began work in April 2005.

Q:  How long will Phase I take?

The Contract time is set at 365 days; this does not include the winter shutdown period when the asphalt plants are closed. If there aren't too many unforeseen problems to slow progress, there is a possibility that the work will be done considerably sooner than this. It now appears that the sewer mains will be completely installed by the end of September 2005. Testing for quality assurance will take place after this and then the sewer system will be turned over to the Town for its use.

Q:  What will the project in the streets entail? Will roads be closed? Will I be able to use my driveway?

The Contractor will be digging very deep trenches in the middle of relatively narrow streets. As with any large infrastructure project, there will certainly be inconveniences to the public as the work progresses. There is no way around this disruption and we ask for your understanding and patience. It is anticipated that roads under construction WILL be closed to through traffic during the workday. It is anticipated that driveways will be inaccessible during the workday as the construction zone is passing them. Coordination and communication is key to this process and the Contractor understands this. We intend to give you sufficient notice prior to beginning any work on your street.

Q:  How soon after the sewer line passes my street will I be able to hook up?

The time will vary from location to location. In general, once the sewer main is installed and the sewer laterals have been installed to the property line, the Contractor must pressure test the sewer between manholes. Once the pressure test is successful AND the entire sewer main downstream (to the existing sewer) is ready to accept sewage, then individual residences will be able to hook up.

Q:  What can I expect to pay for an assessment?

The Public Information Session held at the Bethel High School on January 22, 2003 included a discussion of a range of $15,000 to $20,000 that is payable over an extended period of time. The project that was approved by the voters is based on this range.

SEWER ASSESSMENT EXAMPLE Total Sewer Assessment Due $15,000.00, Payable over 25 years
$15,000 divided by 25 years		= a principal payment of $600 per year
First Year example		$15,000 (Assessment amount)
		- $    600 (the principal amount)
		= $14,400 (the remaining payment)
		$14,400 (the remaining payment)
		x        4.5% (Interest rate)
		= $     648
		$  600 (the yearly principal)
		+$  648 (the interest on first year)
		=$1,248 (the first year fee)
Second Year example		$14,400 (the remaining payment)
		- $    600 (the principal amount)
		= $13,800 (the remaining payment)
		$13,800 (the remaining payment)
		x        4.5% (Interest rate)
		= $     621.00
		$  600.00 (the yearly principal)
		+$  621.00 (the interest for year 2)
		=$1,221.00 (the second year fee)

The method of determining assessments has not been finalized but may be as follows:

• Assessments will be computed upon the completion of each phase.
• All costs associated with each phase will be split up among the properties served according to a formula, which has yet to be finalized by the Public Utilities Commission.
• Taking into account previous projects in town, the assessments will generally be determined based on lot size and frontage, but other factors may influence the final number.
  • For example, if you are on a corner lot with frontage on two streets, your frontage is going to be much higher than the average lot on your street. Therefore, frontage for corner lots will likely be based on the average of the two frontages.
• Once the initial assessments have gone out, other factors that the PUC may not have been aware of, such as wetlands, amount of developable land, etc. could have an effect on the size of your assessment. If you feel special circumstances should reduce your assessment, you will have to appeal your initial assessment to the PUC.
  • For example, if you have a two-acre lot but one acre of the lot is wetlands, this may reduce your initial assessment. These appeals may require individual analyses by the PUC after the initial assessments are determined.
  • It is anticipated that there will be a period of time when appeals will be accepted for review and that once the appeal period has ended, and all appeals have been addressed, a final adjustment will be made and a revised assessment will be sent out.
    
    

Q:  What can I expect to pay for the hookup from the street to my home?

You are responsible for the sewer lateral from your house to the sewer lateral that M. Rondano will install from the street to your property line. The cost for this work will vary, sometimes greatly, depending on a number of conditions. The least costly lateral installation will generally be for a house that is 1) close to the street (short length of sewer pipe), 2) uphill from the street (shallow depth of bury) and, 3) has lawn restoration only (no driveways or sidewalks to cross). From there, the cost will go up based on the length of the sewer lateral, necessary plumbing modifications, etc. An estimate was provided to my office from a homeowner on Sky Edge Drive recently. Copies of the estimate are available for your use. The estimate includes some of the items that you will want your contractor to include. Your situation will probably vary from this example. You certainly want the contractor to look at your home's existing sewage system first and then detail the proposed work on an estimate form similar to this. Cleanouts are recommended for installation just outside the house foundation and every 100 feet to facilitate future cleaning. It is recommended that you contact two or more contractors for estimates. Read the estimates carefully, because the low estimate may not include some of the things that the higher estimates do.

Q:  Do I have to hook up? What if I've had extensive repairs to my system recently?

The short answer is: you do not have to hook up right away. The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has the right (by State Statute) to require you to hook up within a certain amount of time. This has yet to be determined for this project.

If you have recently had extensive repairs or you have a septic system that you feel has no problems, you can seek a deferral. Deferrals from hooking in to the system may be up to 15 years or more, depending on the circumstances and the PUC policies. You will likely have to show that you have a code-compliant septic system before any long-term deferral is granted.

Q:  How will sewer usage costs be determined?

Usage of the sewer is based on your consumption of water. Once you or your contractor apply to make a connection to the sewer system, you will be asked if you are a customer of Bethel Consolidated Water Company. If this is the case, we will base your bill on their meter readings. If you have a well, you will have to have a water meter installed on your well water line. The town will furnish and install the meter.

Q:  When will Phase II begin?

The design for Phase II is nearing completion. The designer, URS Corporation, has submitted 90% complete drawings to the Town. The Town must acquire easements from a number of property owners in order to complete the work in Phase II. It is anticipated that the easement process will begin in the next few weeks in order to get Phase II out to bid this winter. If all goes according to plan, construction of Phase II will begin next spring.