SANFORD — Flushing the toilet may cost more in Sanford this year. Trustees of Sanford Sewerage District are expected to vote in February on a potential rate increase of 11.3 percent for 2014, and increases of 4.9 percent in 2015 and 2.6 percent 2016.

Sanford Sewerage District Superintendent Michael Hanson, in an outline he is scheduled to present to the city council tonight, wrote that the increase, if approved by district trustees Feb. 10, will be the first since 2007. He said the hike is necessary to maintain cash flow and to help fund capital improvements through 2017. The district, which has about 4,700 residential and commercial customers, is facing a financial shortfall, he said, and steps have been taken to control costs.

Hanson on Monday said he’s working on scheduling a date for a public hearing, which will likely be sometime later this month. Letters will go out to customers, advising them of the proposed rate increase, he said.

The sewer district is not a part of city government; it is a quasi-municipal agency overseen by a five-member board of trustees.

In his presentation to the council, Hanson wrote that the sewerage district has made changes in an effort to control costs, including upgrading a solar wall at the treatment plant, upgrading the heating system at the administration building and eliminating two vacant staff positions. It downgraded the health insurance plan twice and required increased employee contributions, he said.

“Addressing cash flow is necessary because of a significant decline of usage ”“ 13 percent over the past seven years, and eight percent this year alone,” he wrote. “Simply based on billing rates, this pattern has created an annual shortfall of $200,000. Most of the proposed increase in the sewer charge will be applied to correct this shortfall.”

Hanson said money realized from the proposed increase will also be used to help fund capital improvements over the next three years, which include $500,000 each to upgrade pumping stations at Route 99 and Route 109, $2 million to design and build a compost site and $2 million to close a sludge landfill that is nearing capacity. The increase is also expected to help offset rising costs of fuel, chemicals, equipment and paving supplies, piping and gravel.

Hanson said the district has received additional revenue of almost $300,000 in grant money for a required upgrade; through rebates associated with lighting and energy upgrades; and increased revenue from treatment of septic waste.

If approved by trustees, the sewer charge will increase from $6.20 per 100 cubic feet of water to $6.90, and the service charge will increase from $22.50 to $25 this year. Hanson said the average household uses 8,000 cubic feet of water, resulting in a current annual fee of $586. He said that the proposed increase for 2014 will bring the annual fee to $652, or $5.50 more per month.

For 2015, the $6.90 rate would increase to $7.30 per 100 cubic feet, or by 4.9 percent, from $652 annually to $684. Hanson said that increase will primarily go toward funding the compost facility and closure of the sludge landfill.

For 2016, the 2.6 percent increase brings the rate from $7.30 to $7.50 per 100 cubic feet, or $700 annually for the average home. Service charges won’t increase in 2015 or 2016.

Hanson said the proposed new fees and cost controls will help increase necessary revenue for operations beyond the $3.15 million annually it collects from quarterly billings to customers. With roughly $4.5 million in additional debt anticipated through upgrades and the landfill closure, the increases are needed, he said.

“This proposed plan will leave the district on a sound financial footing, continuing its ability to meet the needs of a changing community,” he wrote.

Outgoing mayor Maura Herlihy said she understands that sewerage rates haven’t increased since 2007. But she, said, she would prefer a formula that provides for smaller, more regular increases than the big jumps in rates every six or seven years ”“ which result in a bigger shock to the pocketbook, she said.

At Sanford Water District, Superintendent David Parent said there is no rate increase planned for 2014, but he informed the city a while ago that a small increase may come in 2015. He said no decisions have been made, but noted the water district has seen a decline in use over the past several years, even though costs keep rising.

One of the city’s largest water users, Vishay-Sprague, closed its Sanford plant 12 years ago, which meant a major decrease in the amount of water used, and Evonik (formerly Cyro) moved a production line elsewhere, resulting in less water consumption there as well. People are conserving at home, too, he said, using low-flow toilets and taking other conservation measures.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.