Sussex County is located in the southern part of Delaware with a population of approximately 200,000. The County manages, operates and maintains 28 separate Sewer Districts, all with various service charges, assessments and connection fees.

When we met with County stakeholders, this complex web of fees and charges was no longer practical. It didn’t fit current operations or the legal climate. In addition, the County needed to embark on a 10-year financial plan that was not supported by the current fee structures.

In that regard, our project team was hired to complete a Water and Sewer Rate and Connection Fee Study. The key aspects of this study involved evaluating the sufficiency of the service charges and assessments to fully recover operating and capital costs, and creating a single capacity fee for new customers. Extensive analysis was performed to develop fair and equitable assessment charges for each of the County’s 28 Sewer Districts. We also prepared a developer oversizing credit methodology.

All efforts were unanimously recommended and approved by the County Board and staff.

“I think that the quality and responsiveness of the consulting service by NBS has been outstanding. It has been a pleasure working with Kim [Boehler] and Greg [Clumpner] these past several months…a totally positive experience. Kim and Greg have gone the extra mile to make the study the best it can be.” * – Jeff James, Director of Engineering Accounting

* This testimonial is not related to any municipal advisory services performed by NBS.


For more information, please contact: Greg Clumpner, Financial Consulting Group – Utilities Director, gclumpner@nbsgov.com.