County wants change enterprise tax payment

By Jack Chavez Staff Writer

(June 9, 2023) With an eye on curbing costs for rural residents, the Worcester County Commissioners are preparing to vote next meeting on the FY23-24 enterprise fund budgets for the water, wastewater and solid-waste divisions of the Department of Public Works.

As explained by county enterprise fund controller Barb Hitch at Tuesday’s commissioners’ meeting, enterprise funds are used to account for functions of the government in which user charges pay the cost of the service provided. The county uses enterprise funds solely to account for its water, wastewater and solid-waste operations.

The water and wastewater enterprise funds included Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU) cost increases for nearly the entire county, including $12.85 for Edgewater Acres, $12 for Lighthouse Sound, $14.20 for Mystic Harbour, $12 for Ocean Pines, and $20 for Riddle Farm.

West Ocean City was the only service area to not have an increase.

Pat Barbley, a resident of Newark, where the cost is increasing by $8, spoke during the public hearing portion about the increases and unequal cost-sharing around the county.

“We’re a tiny little town — not even an incorporated town, a tiny village,” Barbley said. “We’ve got some pretty high rates on here compared to the rest of these. We’re the highest of all. Why is there such disparity between all of the people?”

Chief Administrative Officer Weston Young explained that, at present, the three divisions are separate accounts, unlike how many governments do it with water, wastewater and solid waste under one account. Thus, if a service area has fewer people — Newark being smaller than West Ocean City for ex- ample — capital increases are spread over fewer people.

“That tends to be why rates go higher,” Young said. “We are looking at trying to find an equitable way and it would be a whole lot easier if personnel was split up among these proportionately (and) under one account. “

“We hope to present (something) at a future date (which) would help Newark — a way that helps everybody.”

Commissioner Ted Elder wants to see those costs come down as soon as possible.

“Sooner we do that, the better,” he said. “I’ve been fighting to get this Newark area bills down to a manageable level for the people who live there. I think that’s one good idea.

Worcester County’s split of enterprise fund tax payments currently leaves some residents paying more than others, depending on how many other people share their service area.

“(There’s) an issue with running some line into Newark which would help also to build a landfill (there). That’s also something we’ve been working on to try to bring some of the costs down.”

The other major fund, solid waste, was better news for the county as it decreased in the FY24 budget by $110,000, or around 2 percent less than the prior year.