Mississippi Survey of Drinking Water System Characteristics and Rate Structure

Transcription

1 Mississippi Survey of Drinking Water System Characteristics and Department of Agricultural Economics Mississippi State University Extension Service P.O. Box 5187 Mississippi State, MS (662)

2 Paige S. Manning Former Extension Associate Alan Barefield Associate Extension Professor Jonathan Mays Former Graduate Services Assistant Department of Agricultural Economics Mississippi State University Extension Service P.O. Box 5187 Mississippi State, MS This publication was developed under Subcontract # awarded by the Southeastern Regional Small Public Water Systems Technical Assistance Center (SE-TAC) through U.S. Environmental Protections Agency Assistance Agreement No. X It has not been formally reviewed by the SE-TAC or the Sponsor. The views expressed in this document are solely those of the Subcontractor and neither the SE-TAC nor EPA endorses any products or commercial services mentioned in this publication. Mississippi State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or group affiliation, age, disability or veteran status.

3 Introduction Eighty-five percent of the approximately 1,400 public water systems in Mississippi are considered community water systems (community water systems are defined as those systems that serve at least 15 service connections or 25 residents year-round). Many of these systems were developed in the 1960s to provide safe drinking water to rural areas through a program developed by the Farmers Home Administration. Today many of these same systems face challenges including aging infrastructure, increased legal mandates and regulations, and poor management practices. These challenges mandate the need for water systems to continually be aware of their rate structures with an eye toward restructuring their rates in order to remain viable. In order to obtain information regarding the water rate structures of Mississippi s community water systems, surveys were sent to 1,141 community water systems across the state. Systems serving institutions such as schools, hospitals, and prisons were not included in the mailing. Two hundred seventy-nine surveys were returned for a response rate of 24 percent. Nine surveys were discarded due to incomplete information or because duplicate copies were received. The purpose of the survey was to not only acquire information about the structure and level of water rates for Mississippi s community water systems, but to also obtain information about how rates are set and general information regarding system characteristics. Each Mississippi public water system has a Public Water System Identification Number assigned by the state Department of Health/Bureau of Public Water Supply. Water systems were asked to complete one survey per water system identification number since many water associations are composed of several smaller systems with separate identification numbers. Although associations consisting of multiple identification numbers act as one body, each separate identification number was treated as a separate entity for the purposes of this study. This was done to reflect the correct population, connections, class, rate structure, etc, for individual systems. Water System Characteristics Sixty-six percent (179) of the community water systems in Mississippi completing the survey are rural water associations, while approximately one-quarter are municipal systems. The remaining systems are considered utilities, districts, or privately-owned community systems. Most respondent systems are classified as small based on population data provided by the Mississippi Department of Heath/Bureau of Public Water Supply. Seventeen percent of the respondents are considered very small by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), serving a population 1 of 500 or less. Sixtyone percent of the systems are small, serving a population between 501 and 3,300 people. Seventeen percent are classified as being medium, serving between 3,301 and 10,000, while only 5 percent are considered large, serving between 10,001 and 100,000. The largest respondent system serves a population of approximately 45,000. Most of the water systems reporting are Class D water systems (58 percent), while 22 percent are Class C systems, 14 percent are Class B, and 6 percent are Class System population is calculated as being persons per system connection. 3

4 E systems. 2 These systems purchase some or all of the water sold. Of the systems that purchase water, 76 percent purchase all water from other systems. The remaining purchase less than 50 percent of the water sold by the system. Figure 1 below shows the percentage of water systems in each size category broken into the various classes. Figure 1. Water System Size and Class Along with providing drinking water, some of the entities provide additional services to the public such as sewer/wastewater, gas, and/or electricity. A total of 78 systems responding to the survey (29 percent) provide drinking water and one or more other services. Twenty-eight percent of these entities provide sewer/wastewater services along with drinking water. Five percent provide natural gas, and three percent also provide electricity. Figure 2 depicts the number of water systems providing the additional services. The survey also asked whether the water systems impose a tap/connection fee and late fee. The tap/connection fee (assessed by 259 reporting systems) ranged from $0 to $1,000, and the average tap fee collected is $280. Ninety-six percent of the water systems charge a late fee. While some water systems charge a late fee of a fixed dollar amount, many systems charge a late fee that is based on a percentage of the water bill or a combination of both. The fixed late fee ranged from $1.00 to $ The late fees assessed as a percentage of the total bill ranged from 1.5 percent to 20 percent. One hundred sixty-six of the water systems completing the survey are planning to implement capital improvements. Seventy of the systems planning to make capital improvements also expect to adjust water rates in the near future. Class B systems are those systems having two or more Class C treatment facilities or systems with iron and/or manganese removal facilities. Class C systems are systems with aeration, ph adjustment, corrosion control, or closed pressure type facilities. Class D systems provide no treatment to the water other than chlorination, fluoridation, or direct chemical feed. (Source: Recommended Performance Guidelines for Certified Waterworks Operators in the State of Mississippi, Mississippi Department of Health.)

5 Figure 2. Additional Services Provided s Water systems participating in the survey were asked to report the type of rate structure used for the particular system identification number. By comparing the type of rate structure reported by the systems to the answers that were given for the questions regarding the minimum fee, minimum gallons, and charge per block, it was apparent that several of the systems did not have a full understanding of the various types of rate structures. One of the more common mistakes made by systems was reporting a flat or increasing block rate when the rate structure was actually uniform. The type of rate structure was verified for each system using information supplied in other questions. As shown in Figure 3, only a very small portion of the reporting systems (two percent) utilizes a flat rate. This means that customers are charged a fixed amount for an unlimited number of gallons of water consumed during the billing cycle. For example, a system may charge all customers $20 per billing cycle no matter how much water they consumed. Many systems charge customers for water based on the number of gallons consumed. Most of these systems charge a minimum fee for a specified number of gallons plus a flow rate for the amount of water used in excess to the minimum number of gallons covered by the minimum fee. The number of gallons covered in the flow rate is divided into units, or blocks, of consumption called price blocks. For example, a system may charge $15 (minimum fee) for the first 2,000 gallons of water consumed and an additional charge for every 1,000 gallons (price block) consumed. As water consumption increases, the dollar amounts charged for each additional price block can remain the same (uniform), increase, or decrease. For systems using price blocks, the rate structure can be uniform, increasing, or 5

6 decreasing. 3 The most common rate structure (66 percent of reporting systems) among community water systems is the uniform rate structure. Six percent of the systems use an increasing block rate structure, while the remaining 26 percent use a decreasing block structure. Figure 3. s Since the price blocks for systems utilizing a uniform rate structure are constant, or uniform, these are considered to have one pricing block. For the systems with increasing or decreasing rate structures, the number of varying price blocks ranged from two to six. On average, systems using either an increasing or decreasing block rate structures used an average of three price blocks. Figure 4 shows the percentage of systems using the various numbers of price blocks in their rate structure. Drinking Water s The price of drinking water for systems charging customers a flat rate ranges from $5 to $26 with an average flat rate fee of $ The minimum monthly residential fee for systems having a block rate structure (uniform, increasing, or decreasing) ranged from $1.75 to $ The number of gallons covered by this minimum fee ranges from 0 to 6,000 gallons. Block rate structured systems charge an average minimum fee of $12.14 with an average of 2,475 gallons being included in the minimum fee. The monthly charge for 10,000 gallons of residential drinking water was also obtained from this survey. This charge was verified using the information provided regarding 6 A uniform block rate structure consists of a minimum fee for a specified number of gallons plus an additional constant charge for a series of price blocks consumed in addition to the gallons included in the minimum fee. Example - For every 1,000 gallons consumed in addition to the minimum gallons, the customer is charged $3 per 1,000 gallons. An increasing block rate consists of a minimum fee for a specified number of gallons plus a series of price blocks that increase in price as consumption increases. Example - For the first 1,000 gallons consumed in addition to the minimum gallons, the customer is charged $3 per 1,000 gallons and $3.50 for the next 1,000 gallons. A decreasing block rate consists of a minimum fee for a specified number of gallons plus a series of price blocks that decrease in price as consumption increases. Example - For the first 1,000 gallons consumed in addition to the minimum gallons, the customer is charged $3 per 1,000 gallons and $2.50 for the next 1,000 gallons.

7 Figure 4. Number of Price Blocks the minimum rate and gallons, block prices and gallons, and type of rate structure. For those systems not providing a charge for 10,000 gallons of water, provided information was used to calculate this charge. Over the years, some water systems have expanded to provide water service to customers that reside outside of the county or city limits where the system is located. Eighteen percent of the respondent systems charge a different rate to customers living outside of the system s county/city limits. There was not a substantial difference in the rate depending on whether a customer lived inside or outside of the county/city limits. The dollar amount charged for 10,000 gallons of drinking water to residents living inside the county/city ranges from $5 to $54.00 with an average amount being $ The dollar amount charged for 10,000 gallons of drinking water to residents living outside the county/city limits for those systems having a separate rate is slightly higher, ranging from $6 to $55.28 with an average dollar amount being $ Non- Drinking Water s Some water systems charge a separate rate to non-residential customers such as agricultural and industrial/commercial customers. This is true for 25 percent of the water systems in Mississippi. For those systems charging a separate rate to nonresidential users, the charge for 10,000 gallons of water for agricultural customers ranged from $9.20 to $86.00, and the charge for 10,000 gallons of water for industrial/ commercial users ranged from $9.20 to $ For those systems charging nonresidential users a separate rate, the average charge for 10,000 gallons of water was $30.15 for agricultural users and $40.34 for industrial/commercial users. Setting Water systems vary not only in rates and rate structures, but also in the method used to determine whether to increase or adjust rates. Many systems use more than one method for determining rate adjustments. Figure 5 shows the percentage of water systems using the various methods for determining rates. Seventy-seven percent of the systems have board members to analyze the fixed and variable costs, budgets, revenues and expenditures, changes in customer base, and future renovations and expansions, when making rate decisions. Sixteen percent contact a technical assistance provider to conduct a comprehensive rate analysis to determine the best rates. Seven percent set rates that are comparable to those of neighboring water systems. Three percent raise or adjust rates by a fixed amount at a certain time, while one percent does not raise or adjust rates. 7

8 Figure 5. Methods Used for Setting Of the 270 systems responding to the survey, 249 answered questions regarding rate increases. Seventy-five percent have increased rates within the past five years. In reality, this number is probably greater since the surveys were completed early in the year. It has been 6 to 10 years since 19 percent of the systems have increased rates, and 11 to 15 years since 5 percent have increased rates. Only 1 percent indicated that it has been longer than 15 years since the last rate increase. Thirty-seven percent of the systems surveyed expect to increase or adjust rates in the near future. Fifty-five systems expected a rate increase in 2004, while 6 systems expect to implement a rate increase in Eighty-four respondent water systems have undergone a comprehensive water rate analysis with 48 of these analyses being conducted within the past 2 years. The remaining rate analyses were conducted after the year These analyses were completed by a variety of individuals including accountants, engineers, technical assistance providers, board members, loan providers, and others. A majority of these analyses (59) were conducted by technical assistance providers such as Community Resource Group or the Mississippi Rural Water Association. Figure 6 shows the number of rate analyses performed by various entities. Additional Survey Findings Several other findings regarding water rates were identified from analysis of the data. These findings relate to the water systems size, number of other services provided, location, and type of organizational structure. 8 Size A water system s size is determined by the number of connections and the population served by the system. The residential minimum fee and monthly charge for 10,000 gallons of drinking water for residents living inside the county/city limits was compared to these two size indicators to detect any trends. The average residential minimum fee decreases as the EPA population class size increases (see Table 1). The average residential minimum fee for very small and small systems is greater than the average minimum fee when taking all systems into consideration. The purpose of this base minimum should be to cover the fixed costs incurred by the water system. This indicates that a system with a relatively large number of customers would be able to charge a lower minimum fee than a system with a smaller number of connections

9 Figure 6. Entities Performing Analyses because this fee could be dispersed among a greater number of customers. Table 1 shows that as water systems get larger, the average monthly charge for 10,000 gallons tends to decrease with the exception of the very small systems. Although there was not much variation in the charge for 10,000 gallons of water for the very small, small, and medium system classes, the average charge for 10,000 gallons for the large systems was noticeably less. Table 1. Comparison of Population Size and Fee EPA Class Size Average Average Monthly Charge Monthly Fee For 10,000 gallons Very Small $13.27 $28.25 Small $12.79 $31.82 Medium $10.60 $28.29 Large $7.25 $22.77 Average $12.24 $30.18 Figure 7 indicates that the average monthly charge for 10,000 gallons of drinking water and the residential minimum fee decreases as the number of connections increases. As previously mentioned, this is likely due to increasing economies of scale that occur as fixed costs are spread over a larger number of connections and as population Figure 7. Average Charge for 10,000 Based on Connections 9

10 (connection) density increases for the water system s service area. Additional Services Provided As reported earlier, 29 percent of the systems provide at least one other utility service in addition to drinking water. When comparing the number of services provided with the monthly charge of 10,000 gallons of residential drinking water, the average monthly charge tends to decrease as the number of services increase. The only exception to this was for the systems that provide all three services (gas, sewer, and electricity); however, since only one system that responded to the survey reported providing all three services, this response may not be meaningful. As previously noted, the average monthly charge for 10,000 gallons of water is $ Only systems that provide only drinking water have an average monthly 10,000 gallon charge higher than the $30.18 average. The average monthly charge for systems providing one or more services was at least $5 less than the total average as is depicted in Figure 8. Figure 8. Additional Services Provided Location The charge for 10,000 gallons of drinking water was also analyzed with respect to various regions of the state. The state was divided into five regions: Hills Region, Pines Region, Delta Region, Capital/River Region, and the Coastal Region. The average cost of 10,000 gallons of drinking water for each region ranged from $23.13 to $33.31 with an average cost of $ Although the Delta Region had the fewest respondents, it had a larger number of systems reporting a flat rate structure than any other region (three of the six systems reporting a flat rate structure are located in the Delta). This may have lowered the Delta Region s average since the average monthly charge for 10,000 gallons of water for systems utilizing a flat rate pricing structure is almost half that of systems with a block rate structure. Also, one of the systems with a flat rate charges only $5.00 per month for an unlimited amount of water. Figure 9 illustrates the average cost of 10,000 gallons of water for each of the designated regions. 10

11 Figure 9. Regional Average Charge for 10,000 Comparison of rural and municipal systems As mentioned earlier, 93 percent of the systems completing the survey are either rural water associations or municipalities. When analyzing the data for rural water associations and municipal systems only, the average minimum fee paid for water is $ The average minimum fee charged by rural water associations is $13.29 and is 45 percent higher than that charged by municipalities ($9.16). Furthermore, the average number of gallons sold for this minimum fee is only 1.4 percent more for rural water associations than for municipalities. customers of rural associations typically pay 45 percent more for 1.4 percent more water with respect to the minimum fee and gallons included in the fee. The median minimum fee for municipalities is $9.07 (half of the customers pay at least this amount), while the median minimum fee for rural systems is $ The median when considering both types of systems is $ The two types of systems were also analyzed with regards to their monthly charge for 10,000 gallons for residents living inside the county/city limits. The average charge for 10,000 gallons for rural water associations ($33.06) is 41 percent greater than the average amount charged by municipalities ($23.52). For the rural water associations, this is $2.67, or 8.8 percent, greater than the average monthly charge for the two types combined ($30.39). The municipal systems average monthly charge is $6.87, or 29 percent, below the combined average. The median for the 10,000 gallon charge for the two types of systems combined is $ The median 10,000 gallon fee for customers of rural water associations is $32.38, while it is only $23.50 for municipal customers. This measure also indicates that customers of rural water associations tend to pay more for their water consumption. There are a variety of factors that could contribute to the minimum fee and the 10,000 gallon monthly charge appearing greater for rural associations than for municipalities. As noted earlier, the average monthly charge for systems providing at least one additional service is less that than the charge for systems providing only drinking water. 11

12 Eighty-nine percent of the municipalities surveyed provide at least one additional service, while only four percent of the rural associations provide more services. System size may also contribute to the perception that rural customers pay more for water. Table 1 showed that the 10,000 gallon monthly charge for large systems is less than that of the systems that are classified as very small, small, or medium. Fourteen percent of the municipal systems surveyed are classified as large, while only one percent of the rural associations are this size. Population density is another probable contributing factor. While the survey did not obtain any information regarding the population density of the water systems, towns and cities tend to be more densely populated than rural communities. Water systems in more densely populated areas may tend to have more cost advantages than those in less dense areas with regards to facility and maintenance costs, which leads to lower costs being passed to the customers. More research is needed in this area, particularly given the findings from other research-based sources examined by the authors. Appendix The Appendix exhibits selected information collected through the survey for each individual water system. Although the names of the systems are not revealed, the water systems are sorted according to the number of connections for each region. Figure 9 can be used as a guide to determine the counties in each region. When interpreting this information, it is important to remember that this information was reported for each separate water system identification number. In some cases, one water system may be made of smaller systems with multiple identification numbers. Summary A wide variety of information regarding Mississippi s community water systems was collected through the water rate survey. Most of the state s community water systems are small, serving a population less than 3,300. Most of the water systems charge a minimum fee and a block rate (with a majority utilizing a uniform block rate), while only a few systems have a flat rate. The average charge for 10,000 gallons of drinking water for residential accounts for customers living inside the county/city limits is $ This average charge tends to be greater for rural water associations than municipalities, and larger water systems tend to charge less for water. As the size of water systems increases, the average minimum fee and the average charge for 10,000 gallons of water both decrease. Approximately 29 percent of the systems surveyed provide additional services other than drinking water. Those systems providing at least one other service to customers charge less for drinking water than those systems providing only drinking water. Water rates and average monthly charges vary for different regions of the state. 12

13 Appendix Mississippi Water Survey Results 13

14 14 Appendix. Mississippi Water Survey Results Monthly Charge for 10,000 Average Block Price Blocks in Fee Different Fee Outside County/City Planning Capital Improvements Region Connections Other Services Provided 1 Capital/River 29 0 Yes Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Capital/River Yes Decreasing Yes $ $1.88 $ Capital/River Yes Increasing No $ $2.10 $ Capital/River Yes Decreasing No $ $1.67 $ Capital/River No Increasing No $ $2.42 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $1.65 $ Capital/River Yes Decreasing No $ $2.22 $ Capital/River Yes Decreasing No $ $2.50 $ Capital/River Yes Decreasing No $ $1.67 $ Capital/River Yes Decreasing Yes $ $1.88 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform Yes $ $1.50 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $2.65 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $2.50 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $1.75 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $2.60 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $1.65 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $1.75 $ Capital/River No Increasing No $ $2.50 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $2.65 $38.95

15 Monthly Charge for 10,000 Average Block Price Blocks in Fee Different Fee Outside County/City Planning Capital Improvements Region Connections Other Services Provided 0 Yes Uniform No $ $1.65 $ Capital/River Capital/River No Decreasing Yes $ $1.88 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $3.25 $ Capital/River No Decreasing Yes $ $1.88 $ Capital/River No Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Capital/River No Decreasing No $ $1.67 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Capital/River No Uniform No $ $2.75 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Capital/River No Decreasing No $ $1.67 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $1.25 $ Capital/River Yes Decreasing Yes $ $1.73 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform Yes $ $2.48 $ Capital/River Yes Decreasing No $ $2.50 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform Yes $ $3.00 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform Yes $ $4.00 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $4.00 $ Capital/River Uniform No $ $2.50 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $2.50 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $2.60 $ Capital/River No Increasing No $ $1.38 $

16 16 Monthly Charge for 10,000 Average Block Price Blocks in Fee Different Fee Outside County/City Planning Capital Improvements Region Connections Other Services Provided 43 Capital/River No Decreasing No $ $1.67 $ Capital/River Yes Decreasing No $ $1.67 $ Capital/River Yes Increasing Yes $ $1.86 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $2.50 $ Capital/River Uniform No $ $4.50 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $4.40 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $4.00 $ Capital/River Yes Decreasing Yes $ $ Capital/River Yes Decreasing No $ $2.17 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Capital/River No Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $1.50 $ Capital/River No Decreasing Yes $ $1.71 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform Yes $ $1.75 $ Capital/River Yes Uniform No $ $2.37 $ Capital/River Yes Decreasing Yes $ $1.29 $ Coastal 61 0 Yes Flat No $ $ Coastal 84 0 Yes Uniform No $ $2.75 $ Coastal Yes Uniform No $ $2.50 $ Coastal Yes Uniform No $ $2.75 $ Coastal Yes Decreasing No $ $2.83 $ Coastal Yes Uniform No $ $2.50 $33.00

17 Monthly Charge for 10,000 Average Block Price Blocks in Fee Different Fee Outside County/City Planning Capital Improvements Region Connections Other Services Provided 65 Coastal Uniform No $ $2.50 $ Coastal No Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Coastal No Uniform No $ $2.75 $ Coastal Yes Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Coastal Yes Uniform No $ $3.25 $ Coastal Yes Decreasing No $ $2.56 $ Coastal No Uniform No $ $1.00 $ Coastal Yes Uniform No 1 $2.00 $ Coastal Yes Uniform No $ $2.20 $ Coastal Yes Decreasing No $ $1.18 $ Coastal Yes Uniform Yes $ $2.00 $ Coastal No Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Coastal No Decreasing Yes $ $1.17 $ Coastal Yes Decreasing No $ $2.00 $ Coastal Yes Uniform No $ $2.25 $ Coastal Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Coastal No Decreasing No $ $1.13 $ Coastal Yes Uniform No $ $2.50 $ Coastal Yes Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Coastal Yes Uniform Yes $ $2.50 $ Coastal Yes Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Coastal Yes Uniform No $ $2.20 $

18 18 Monthly Charge for 10,000 Average Block Price Blocks in Fee Different Fee Outside County/City Planning Capital Improvements Region Connections Other Services Provided 87 Coastal Yes Uniform No 1 $2.00 $ Coastal Yes Uniform No $ $2.75 $ Coastal Yes Decreasing Yes $ $3.65 $ Coastal Yes Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Coastal Uniform No $ $1.00 $ Coastal No Uniform No $ $2.75 $ Coastal No Decreasing No $ $2.25 $ Coastal Yes Uniform No $ $2.10 $ Coastal No Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Coastal No Uniform No $ $1.50 $ Coastal No Uniform No $ $1.40 $ Coastal Yes Uniform Yes $ $2.50 $ Coastal No Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Coastal Yes Decreasing No $ $2.00 $ Coastal No Increasing No $ $2.38 $ Coastal Yes Uniform No $ $0.75 $ Delta 0 No No 33 0 Yes Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Delta 72 Delta 0 No Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Delta 0 Yes No $ Delta 1 Flat No $ $ Delta 0 Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $

19 Monthly Charge for 10,000 Average Block Price Blocks in Fee Different Fee Outside County/City Planning Capital Improvements Region Connections Other Services Provided 109 Delta Yes Decreasing No $ $1.81 $ Delta Yes Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Delta Yes Uniform No $ $0.85 $ Delta Yes Decreasing No $ $1.00 $ Delta No Increasing No $ $4.63 $ Delta Yes Flat No $ $ Delta Yes Decreasing No $ $1.18 $ Delta Yes Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Delta No Decreasing No $ $1.81 $ Delta No Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Delta No Uniform No $ $2.25 $ Delta No Decreasing Yes $ $0.88 $ Delta No Uniform No $ $2.70 $ Delta Yes Decreasing No $ $1.35 $ Delta No Increasing Yes $ $0.59 $ Delta No Flat Yes $ $ Delta Yes Uniform Yes $ $2.00 $ Delta Yes Decreasing Yes $ $1.05 $ Delta Yes Decreasing Yes $ $1.39 $ Delta Yes Decreasing Yes $ $0.76 $ Delta No Decreasing Yes $ $0.94 $ Hills 45 0 Yes Flat No $ $

20 20 Monthly Charge for 10,000 Average Block Price Blocks in Fee Different Fee Outside County/City Planning Capital Improvements Region Connections Other Services Provided 131 Hills 61 0 Yes Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Hills 71 0 Yes Flat No $ $ Hills No Increasing No $ $2.75 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $1.75 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $4.00 $ Hills Yes Increasing No $ $3.50 $ Hills No Uniform No $ $1.75 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $1.93 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $2.50 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Hills No Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Hills Uniform No $ $1.95 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $2.50 $ Hills Yes Decreasing No $ $1.42 $ Hills Yes Decreasing No $ $2.70 $ Hills No Decreasing No $ $2.70 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Hills Uniform No $ $1.95 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Hills No Decreasing No $ $2.70 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $2.50 $ Hills Yes Uniform Yes $ $3.25 $34.75

21 Monthly Charge for 10,000 Average Block Price Blocks in Fee Different Fee Outside County/City Planning Capital Improvements Region Connections Other Services Provided 153 Hills Yes Decreasing No $ $2.75 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Hills No Uniform No $ $2.50 $ Hills No Decreasing No $ $2.70 $ Hills No Uniform No $ $3.25 $ Hills Uniform No $ $1.95 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $2.50 $ Hills Uniform No $ $1.95 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $3.60 $ Hills Yes Decreasing No $ $2.70 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $4.50 $ Hills No Decreasing No $ $4.25 $ Hills Yes Decreasing No $ $1.75 $ Hills No Decreasing No $ $2.00 $ Hills No Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Hills Yes Uniform Yes $ $0.75 $ Hills No Decreasing No $ $2.70 $ Hills No Uniform No $ $4.00 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $2.25 $ Hills No Uniform No $ $1.75 $

22 22 Monthly Charge for 10,000 Average Block Price Blocks in Fee Different Fee Outside County/City Planning Capital Improvements Region Connections Other Services Provided 175 Hills Yes Uniform Yes $ $2.00 $ Hills No Decreasing No $ $2.70 $ Hills No Increasing No $ $3.50 $ Hills Yes Yes $ Hills Yes Increasing No $ $3.08 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Hills No Increasing No $ $3.08 $ Hills Yes Uniform Yes $ $2.50 $ Hills No Uniform No $ $2.50 $ Hills No Increasing No $ $1.25 $ Hills No Uniform Yes $ $2.00 $ Hills No Decreasing No $ $2.76 $ Hills No Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Hills Uniform No $ $1.95 $ Hills Yes Decreasing No $ $2.70 $ Hills Yes Uniform Yes $ $2.00 $ Hills No Uniform No $ $2.50 $ Hills Uniform No $ $4.50 $ Hills Yes Decreasing No $ $3.58 $ Hills No Uniform No $ $2.30 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $2.25 $ Hills Yes Uniform No $ $1.87 $20.72

23 Monthly Charge for 10,000 Average Block Price Blocks in Fee Different Fee Outside County/City Planning Capital Improvements Region Connections Other Services Provided 197 Hills No Decreasing Yes $ $2.53 $ Pines 34 0 Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Pines 62 0 No Uniform No $ $3.50 $ Pines 85 0 Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Pines 88 0 No Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Pines No Decreasing No $ $2.17 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $3.50 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $3.50 $ Pines Yes Decreasing No $ $2.50 $ Pines No Decreasing Yes $ $1.00 $ Pines No Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $3.50 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $3.50 $ Pines Yes Decreasing No $ $2.00 $ Pines No Decreasing No $ $4.50 $ Pines No Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $3.50 $ Pines No Decreasing No $ $4.50 $ Pines Yes Uniform Yes $ $2.00 $ Pines No Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Pines Yes Uniform Yes $ $2.50 $

24 24 Monthly Charge for 10,000 Average Block Price Blocks in Fee Different Fee Outside County/City Planning Capital Improvements Region Connections Other Services Provided 219 Pines Yes Uniform No $ $1.50 $ Pines No Decreasing No $ $2.75 $ Pines No Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Pines No Decreasing No $ $4.50 $ Pines Yes Uniform Yes $ $1.00 $ Pines No Uniform No $ $3.50 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $3.50 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Pines Yes Decreasing No $ $1.92 $ Pines Yes Decreasing Yes $ $3.25 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $3.50 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Pines No Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Pines Yes Decreasing No $ $3.00 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $1.95 $ Pines No Decreasing No $ $1.75 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Pines No Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Pines No Uniform No $ $4.00 $ Pines No Uniform No $ $3.50 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $1.65 $ Pines No Uniform No $ $2.00 $28.50

25 Monthly Charge for 10,000 Average Block Price Blocks in Fee Different Fee Outside County/City Planning Capital Improvements Region Connections Other Services Provided 241 Pines Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Pines No Uniform No $ $3.50 $ Pines No Uniform No $ $1.85 $ Pines No Decreasing No $ $4.50 $ Pines No Uniform Yes $ $2.00 $ Pines Yes Decreasing No $ $2.17 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Pines No Decreasing No $ $2.08 $ Pines Yes Decreasing No $ $1.67 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $3.50 $ Pines No Decreasing No $ $4.50 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $2.00 $ Pines Yes Uniform Yes $ $2.00 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $3.00 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $2.50 $ Pines No Uniform Yes $ $2.00 $ Pines No Uniform No $ $3.50 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $3.50 $ Pines No Uniform $ $1.13 $ Pines Yes Uniform Yes $ $2.00 $

26 26 Monthly Charge for 10,000 Average Block Price Blocks in Fee Different Fee Outside County/City Planning Capital Improvements Region Connections Other Services Provided 263 Pines Yes Increasing No $ $2.13 $ Yes Uniform No $ $4.50 $ Pines No Uniform No $ $3.50 $ Pines Uniform Yes $ $0.55 $ Pines Pines No Uniform Yes $ $1.13 $ Pines Yes Uniform No $ $4.00 $ Pines No Uniform Yes $ $1.70 $ Pines Yes Uniform Yes $ $3.00 $29.00

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28 Department of Agricultural Economics P.O. Box 5187 Mississippi State, MS