Unless specifically defined in the ERHWSC Tariff, all fees, rates, and charges as stated shall be non-refundable.
- Service Investigation Fee. The Corporation shall conduct a service investigation for each service application submitted at the Corporation office. A Standard Service Investigation Fee of $100.00 is due upon application for service. An investigation shall be conducted by the Corporation, as to whether the service request is Standard or Non-Standard. Further investigation shall be conducted if necessary for Non-Standard Service. Subdivision Service Investigation requests shall be subject to a minimum fee of $2,500.00, and all other Non-Standard Service Investigation requests shall be subject to a minimum fee of $300.00. The service investigation fee will be appropriate to each project, of sufficient amount to cover all administrative, legal, and engineering fees associated with investigation of the Corporation’s ability to deliver service to the Applicant.
- Membership Fee. At the time the application for service is approved, a refundable Membership Fee must be paid before service shall be provided or reserved for the Applicant by the Corporation.
a. The Membership Fee for water service is $250.00 for each service unit.
b. The Membership Fee for water and wastewater service is $400.00 for each service unit. - Easement Fee. When the Corporation determines that private right-of-way easements and/or facilities sites are necessary to provide service to the Applicant, the Applicant shall be required to make good faith efforts to secure easements in behalf of the Corporation and/or pay all costs incurred by the Corporation in validating, clearing, and retaining such right-of-way in addition to tap fees otherwise required pursuant to the provisions of this Tariff. The costs may include all legal fees and expenses necessary to attempt to secure such right-of-way and/or facilities sites in behalf of the Applicant.
- Installation Fee. The Corporation shall charge an installation fee for service as follows:
a. Standard Service shall include all current labor, materials, engineering, legal, customer service inspection, and administrative costs necessary to provide individual metered water or wastewater service and shall be charged on a per tap basis as computed immediately prior to such time as metered service is requested and installed.
(1) Standard water service fee is $535.00 for each service unit where a tap currently exists.
(2) Standard water service fee is $1,250.00 for each service unit where a tap does not exist.
(3) Standard wastewater service fee is $500.00 for each service unit.
b. Non-Standard Service shall include any and all construction labor and materials, inspection, administration, legal, and engineering fees, as determined by the Corporation under the rules of Section F of this Tariff.
c. Standard and Non-Standard Service Installations shall include all costs of any pipeline relocations as per Section E. 3(e) of this Tariff. - Impact Fee. In addition to the Membership Fee, each Applicant shall be required to pay an impact fee if an impact fee (or any equity buy-in-fee) has not previously been paid for the property at which service is requested. This fee shall be used to assist in funding capital improvements to the Corporation's system capacity. This fee shall be assessed immediately prior to providing service for each property and shall be assigned and restricted to that property for which the service was originally requested.
a. The impact fee for water system capacity is $1,600.00 per service unit.
b. The impact fee for the Lozano wastewater system capacity is $400.00 per service unit.
c. The impact fee for the Southside wastewater system capacity is $4,000.00 per service unit.
- Regulatory Assessment. The Corporation shall, as required by Section 5.235, Water Code of the State of Texas, collect from each of its retail customers a regulatory assessment equal to one-half of one percent of the charge for retail water or wastewater service. This charge shall be collected in addition to other charges for utility service. This fee is collected on all charges pertaining to Section 0.6. Monthly Charges of this tariff. (30 TAC 291.76 d.(3) (i)) NOTE: The regulatory assessment is not to be collected from state agencies, wholesale customers, or buyers of non-potable (not drinkable) water. (Ref. TCEQ RG-199 revised Oct. 2002. TCEQ Section 291.76 (c).)
- Assessments. If at the end of the fiscal year, or in the event of emergency repairs, the Board of Directors determines the total amount derived from the collection of water or wastewater charges to be insufficient for the payment of all costs incident to the operation of the Corporation's system during the year in which such charges are collected, the Board shall make and levy an assessment against each Member of the Corporation as the Board may determine or as may be required by Rural Development, so that the sum of such assessment and the amount collected from water and other charges is sufficient to fully pay all costs of the operation, maintenance, replacement and repayment on indebtedness for the year's operations.
- Late Payment Fee. Once per billing period, a penalty of $10.00 or 10%, whichever is larger, shall be applied to delinquent bills. This late payment penalty shall not be applied to any balance to which the penalty was applied in a previous billing, but shall be applied to any unpaid balance during the current billing period.
- Owner Notification Fee. The Corporation may, at the expense of the Member, notify said Member of a renter/lessee delinquent account status prior to disconnection of service. The Owner Notification Fee shall be $10.00 per notification.
- Water Rights. The Corporation will assess a fee for water rights based upon the most recent market price of municipal, domestic, and industrial (MDI) water rights, and at an amount of 0.625 acre-feet per service unit. The General Manager or his appointee will assess the value of current market price based upon prices from actual sales of Rio Grande River water rights, and the location
of property for which the service is being requested. Non-Standard Service for more than one tap may transfer the amount of MDI Rio Grande River water rights noted above to the Corporation or may pay the market price to Corporation. All other Non-standard service water rights requirements will be determined individually. - Mortgagee/Guarantor Notification Fee. The Corporation shall assess a fee of $10.00 for each notification to a Membership lien-holder under agreement prior to Membership cancellation.
- Dishonored Payment Fee. In the event a check, draft, or any other similar instrument is given by a person, firm, corporation, or partnership to the Corporation for payment of services provided for in this Tariff, and the instrument is returned by the bank or other similar institution as insufficient or non-negotiable for any reason, the account for which the instrument was issued shall be assessed a dishonored payment fee of $35.00.
- Reconnect Fee. The Corporation shall charge a fee of $50.00 for any service that is disconnected or attempted to be disconnected for any reason provided for in the ERHWSC Tariff except for activation of service under Section E.5.b. Re-Service. Reconnections requested after working hours will be charged an additional $30.00 after hours fee for a total fee sum of $80.00 for reconnection.
- Service Trip Fee. The Corporation shall charge a trip fee of $50.00 for any service call or trip to the Member's tap as a result of a request by the Member or resident (unless the service call is in response to damage of the Corporation's or another Member's facilities) or for the purpose of rereading the meter, or collecting payment for services. The fee shall not apply to Member's whose meter was initially misread.
- Equipment Damage Fee. If the Corporation's facilities or equipment have been damaged by tampering, by-passing, installing unauthorized taps, reconnecting service without authority, or other service diversion, a fee shall be charged equal to the actual costs for all labor, material, and equipment necessary for repair, replacement, and other Corporation actions. This fee shall be charged and paid before service is re-established. If the Corporation's equipment has not been damaged, a fee equal to the actual costs for all labor, material, equipment, and other actions necessary to correct service diversions, unauthorized taps, or reconnection of service without authority shall be charged. All components of this fee will be itemized, and a statement shall be provided to the Member. If the Corporation's facilities or equipment have been damaged due to negligence or unauthorized use of the Corporation's equipment, right-of-way, or meter shut-off valve, or due to other acts for which the Corporation incurs losses or damages, the Member shall be liable for all labor, estimated water lost, and material charges incurred as a result of said acts or negligence. In addition to actual costs incurred by the Corporation, a flat $250.00 tampering fee shall also apply.
- Customer History Report Fee. A fee of $1.50 shall be charged to provide a copy of the Members record of past water purchases in response to a Member's, or other entity's request for such a record.
- Meter Test Fee. The Corporation shall test a Member's meter upon written request of the Member. Under the terms of Section E of this Tariff, a charge of $50.00 shall be imposed on the affected account.
- Transfer Fee. An Applicant for service that is a Transferee shall complete all required application forms, etc., and pay a Transfer Fee of $75.00.
- Information Copy Fee. A fee for the copying of any public information will be charged to the person requesting that information in compliance with the cost rules of the Texas Government Code Section 552.261 et.seq.
- Customer Service Inspection Fee. A fee of $150.00 minimum and $50.00 per half hour for every half hour segment (or partial half hour segment) of inspection time over the initial one half hour will be assessed each member where the inspection is required by TCEQ or Corporation policy. Members with a single service unit meter will be assessed a flat rate of $150.00 per inspection. The fee will be included in the Member's monthly billing over five months, at equal increments per month, as part of the Member's bill and must be paid accordingly. If the Corporation suspects the Member has an issue of noncompliance in regard to customer service inspections and the inspection reveals the Member is in compliance, no fee will be charged. Members must pass the inspection before permanent continuous service is provided.
- Security Lock Fee. A fee of $50.00 will be assessed any customer, which requests ERHWSC to install a lock on their meter. This service is offered to any water customer who is planning to be out of his/her service location for a long period of time such as extended vacations. The one-time fee covers both locking and unlocking. Service availability charges continue to apply during the locked period.
- Billing Stub Fee. A fee of $1.00 will be charged to customers who do not provide the return-billing stub with payments. This applies to all payments made to the Corporation whether mailed or hand delivered.
- Assisted Online Payment Fee. Members making self-payments on-line through the Corporation web page are not charged a fee. A fee of $4.00 will be charged for Corporation personnel to physically process online payments.
- Short term Temporary Meter Service. For property in which the meter has been liquidated or cancelled, the tap is still readily available, and water service is requested for a plumbing inspection or minor repairs required for resale, applicants ineligible for membership may obtain short term temporary (nonstandard) service for $50.00 per day, not to exceed five days.
- Service Discontinuance Fee. A $50.00 fee will be assessed for the processing of discontinuance of service.
- Liquidation Fee. A $35.00 processing fee will be assessed for liquidation due to delinquency as provided in the Tariff under Section E.8.d. Cancellation of Membership.
- Fire Supression Service Fee. A $35.00 per month fee per fire hydrant or fire sprinkler system will be assessed to members that have entered into a waterline access agreement with the Corporation for each hydrant and/or sprinkler system connected to the Corporation's distribution system.
- Wastewater Billing Service Charge. A $2.00 per month fee per each active account will be assessed to any entity requesting sewer billing services. The wastewater service provider receiving payments via billing service contracts will be charged a credit card service fee of 1.75% of all member charges for wastewater service.
- Backflow Tester Application Fee. A $100.00 application fee per year will be assessed to any Backflow and Maintenance Tester that wishes to be added onto Corporations’ list of approved testers.
- Backflow Report Processing Fee. A fee of $40.00 per device will be charged to the tester submitting a Backflow Prevention Assembly Test & Maintenance Report for the processing of the annual report as required by TCEQ.
- Alternate Billing Agreement Setup Fee. A $50.00 setup fee will be assessed for processing of an Alternate Billing Agreement for Rental Accounts and Accounts of Purchase Under Contract for Deed.
- Overpayment Refund Fee. A $15.00 overpayment refund fee will be assessed for processing of a paper check when a refund check is requested in lieu of allowing the credit amount to be left on the member account.
- Billing Card Fee. A $0.50 billing card fee will be assessed for the processing of a paper bill to those members that do no opt-in to receive the monthly statement via e-mail.
- Front Footage Fee. The General Manager, or his appointee, shall assess the fee for applicable non-standard service requests based on (1) the length of the property's frontage along road right of way; and (2) the Corporation's then-current market prices for installing a water line meeting its specifications within its service area.
- Lock List Fee. A $10.00 lock list fee will be charged to members whose membership number appears on the list of meters to be locked for non-payment due to failure to make payment before the disconnect date and payment is made before disconnection of service.
- Other Fees. All services outside the normal scope of utility operations that the Corporation may be compelled to provide at the request of a customer or Member shall be charged to the recipient based on the cost of providing such service.
