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Member Update (MU03-16)

Member Pipeline - Member Services & Information - Update (MU03-16)

To: Members & Affiliates*
From: National Office
Date: August 22, 2003
Subject: AMSA's 2003 service charge index
Reference: MU 03-16

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Action Please By:
September 26, 2003

Since 1992, AMSA has published the AMSA Index annually to track service charge increases as measured against the rate of inflation. AMSA’s membership plays an important role in the AMSA Index by providing the data necessary to quantify service charge increases and identify trends. The Index is representative of AMSA’s broad membership, and this valuable resource continues to be used by wastewater agencies across the nation. This year, for the first time, AMSA is pleased to offer the 2003 Survey form online, in addition to the hard copy Survey (distributed to the membership via regular mail), for your convenience.

2002 Index Showed Rate Increases Surpassed Inflation
The 2002 AMSA Index indicated that the rates customers pay for wastewater services increased 3.6 percent nationwide, which is 2 percent higher than the level of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The 2002 Index marked the first rate increase greater than the CPI since 1998, and the first time since 1994 that the increase has been this significant. The 2002 data may prove to be one of the key indicators that steadily increasing costs are quickly outpacing utilities’ ability to economize operations, largely due to ongoing repair and replacement of aging infrastructure, security and emergency preparedness needs as well as increased construction costs for wet weather-related issues. Annual average increases for the past nine years have remained below 4 percent — a sharp contrast to the years 1986 – 1994 when annual rate increases ranged from 4.7 to 9.2 percent, well above the annual inflation rate.

Complete the 2003 AMSA Index Survey — Now Available Online!
AMSA is pleased to offer the 2003 AMSA Service Charge Index Survey online through CleanWater Central. Follow these steps to submit your survey response online:

  1. Go to the CleanWater Central homepage at www.cleanwatercentral.org
  2. Click on "Enter private subscribers area"
  3. Select your agency, or enter your AMSA Member Pipeline ID (website ID) and password. Click on "login."
  4. At your agency profile page, click on "Surveys" on the top menu.
  5. At surveys menu page click on "2003 AMSA Index" in the active AMSA/WERF surveys box.
  6. Complete the brief 2003 AMSA Index survey questionnaire, and click on "Submit." You may save your responses for later submittal by clicking on "Save."

Don’t know your agency’s user ID and password? Contact Gunnar Gehrmann, phone: 202/833-9384 or ggehrmann@amsa-cleanwater.org.

Your agency’s past survey responses can also be accessed online at CleanWater Central — and are provided on the hard copy (attached) survey form along with the names of the person(s) who provided the information. If historical information is missing or inaccurate, please feel free to add or modify this data directly on the survey form. Changes will be reflected in this year’s AMSA Index summary. In order to ensure consistency, the 2003 Service Charge Index Survey form should, ideally, be completed by the same individual who submitted information for your agency in the past (refer to attached survey form for the names of your agency’s respondents).

Interested in past AMSA Index survey results? Check out the "Reports" section of CleanWater Central online. Click on the "Survey Data" reports category, and then click on the "Average Annual Household User Charge (AMSA Index)" report to view summary statistics or the distribution of service charges from past years.

Your Participation is Encouraged!
Please take a moment to complete the attached form either online at www.cleanwatercentral.org or via hard copy. Please fax completed hard copies to Mark Hoeke, at 202/318-1472 no later than Friday, September 26, 2003. If you have any questions about the attached survey form or any of the historical data, please contact Mark Hoeke at 202/361-7446 or mhoeke@dfinet.ch. Thank you for your prompt attention to this important request.

* This Member Update is provided to private affiliate members for information only.

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