Evening star., 1953-06-21

taxpayer in the sanitary district,
which covers most Of the urban
Maryland area adjoining WASH
ington, pays this tax of 10 cents
for each 500 his property Is as
sessed regardless Of whether he
receives any services from the
commission.
Subject to Change.
The ad valorem tax is subject
to change each year .Sbpt was not
increased when other charges
went up two months ago. It has
been at 10 cents for several years.
Six cents of the ad valorem
tax goes for payment of water
and sewer bonds and 4 cents for
storm drainage bonds, according
to Vincent Ryon, supervisor Of
assessments for the commission.
The ad valorem and front-foot
benefit taxes are collected by
Montgomery and Prince Georges
Counties and appear on the reg
ular property tax bills sent out
by the counties each year. The
commission bills its customers
directly for water and sewage
and refuse collection.
Now, let's see what our aver
age homeowner pays to the COM
mission when all charges are
considered. Say he has a family
Of three, living In q house as
sessed at $1,000 and located on
a lot with a 60-foot frontage.
His yearly water bill. with
meter service charge-$26.60.
His front-foot benefit charge
(assuming he has both water
and sewage services. installed
last year)-$30. X
His ad valorem tax-$5.
Total-$61 80.
Added to this will be his refuse
collection charge. Ifsit Is col
lected by commission trucks lit
will cost him, under the new rate
schedule. q total Of $2f q year.
If it is collected by private or
municipal collectors, the cost will
vary generally from $18 to $24
q year.
The new sewage charge makes
the sanitary commissions water
use rates the highest OF any
public water utility in the WASH
ington area, although rates Of
the Alexandria Water Co., a
private utility. are higher.
$11 in District.
District residents pay the low
est water bills in the area. They
pay about $11 a year for the
same 10000 gallons the Mary
land utility says its average resi-
dental customer uses.
The District is now seeking
to raise it's rates by Is per cent.
however, in proposed Dill
which the District Commission
ers have sent to Congress but
which has not yet been intro
duced. The District now charges
a minimum of $10.94 q year for
the first $500 gallons Of water
used and 8 cents for each $500
gallons additional.
Alexandria has the highest
water bills in the area. The
Alexandria resident who uses
60, 900 gallons Of water supplied
by the private Alexandria Water
Co. pays an annual bill Of $39.6O.
The Alexandria Water Co. bills
its residential customers each
quarter at q minimum rate Of
$5.76 for the first 10000 gallons,
46 cents a thousand for the next
10000 gallons, 80 cents a thou
sand for the next 10000 gallons,
81 cents for the next $4,000, %
cents for the next 10000 and
1872 cents a thousand for all
over 100000 gallons.
The annual water bill in Ar
lington for 10000 gallons is now
$21.60. The present rate is 26
cents for each 1000 gallons. plus
a $6 annual service charge. How
ever, a new 32-cent rate was
decreed by the county board
in the new budget going into
effect July I. Under the new
rate. 10000 gallons Of water a
year will cost Arlington home
owners $25.20.
Arlington, Alexandria and Dis
trict residents do not pay meter
service or front-foot benefit
charges.