KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — Kershaw County completed a wastewater rate study in the 2022 fiscal year to evaluate the needs of its growing community. Now, residents in the area are starting to see the changes.
One of those residents is Melissa Widder who received a letter in the mail last week informing her that her bill was going to increase.
"It was one of shock and then really anger," Widder said of when she opened the letter.
She'll see the increase on her August bill, so we asked the county about the situation.
Interim County Administrator Danny Templar said the county got rid of an industrial sewer tax that everyone paid regardless of if they used the sewer system or not.
"Essentially able to restructure our user rates and take the burden off the taxpayers that were not using the sewer and adjust, make some minor adjustments to the user rates so that system and remaining debt can be paid for by the user."
Templar said the county changed to what they call a ratepayer system which means only those who actually get sewer service pay a bill adding that the overwhelming majority of county residents who have septic tanks and don't use the service will see less.
"It was county-wide previously, so the better part of our population - with some adjustments, so over 60,000 people would be safe," he added. "So, right now, I think there are about 1,400 customers on the system and some of those are industrial."
"It was a mechanism to maintain and upgrade our sewer system to attract new businesses with hopes to create more jobs, and from an economic job standpoint," Templar added.
The changes will take place on residents' August bills.