Member Pipeline - Member Services & Information - Update (MU04-15)
| To: | Members & Affiliates* |
| From: | National Office |
| Date: | September 16, 2004 |
| Subject: | 2004 AMSA INDEX |
| Reference: | MU 04-15 |
Printer friendly version| Note: Agency surveys were distributed via hard copy mail. Please contact AMSA's National Office for a copy of your agency's survey. |
Since 1992, AMSA has published the AMSA Index annually to track average annual single-family residential service charge increases as measured against the rate of inflation. Because there is a wide range of rate structures implemented by utilities (e.g., one or a combination of flat rates, fixed or tiered volume rates, tax rates), the average annual single-family residential sewer service charge (inclusive of collection and treatment) provides a consistent benchmark to measure the price of service and changes in the price of service among public utilities nationwide.
The one-page Index survey requests the average annual single-family residential sewer service charge and service population of each AMSA utility respondent (see attached survey questionnaire). From these values, a population-weighted nationwide average annual single-family residential service charges and annual AMSA Index are determined. The Index is representative of AMSA’s broad membership, and this valuable resource continues to be used by wastewater agencies and nation policy makers. Individual agency responses are kept confidential.
Complete the 2004 AMSA Index Survey — Also Available Online!
Attached is your agency’s individualized one-page survey questionnaire
requesting information for 2004. Your agency’s past survey responses (if
applicable) are provided on the 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. Please complete the
survey questionnaire and return via fax to Mark Hoeke at 202/318-1472 no later
than October 29, 2004. In order to ensure consistency, the 2004 AMSA Index
survey questionnaire 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).
As an alternative to the hard copy form, AMSA also offers the ability to complete the survey online through Cleanwater Central. Follow these steps to submit your survey response online:
- Go to the Cleanwater Central homepage at
http://www.cleanwatercentral.org.
- Click on "Enter private subscribers area".
- Enter your AMSA Member Pipeline ID (website ID) and password (listed on
attached hardcopy form). Click on "login".
- At your agency profile page, click on "Surveys" on the top menu.
- At surveys menu page click on 2004 AMSA Index in the active AMSA/WERF
surveys box.
- Complete the brief 2004 AMSA Index survey questionnaire, and click on "Submit". You should receive a pop-up box indicating that your responses have been submitted. Alternatively, you may save your responses for later submittal by clicking on "Save".
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.
2003 Index Reveals Charges Increasing Faster than Inflation
The 2003 AMSA Index
(http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/pubs/cleanwater/feb04/2003AMSAindex.pdf)
indicated that the sewer service charges paid by residential customers increased
2.8 percent nationwide between 2002 and 2003, one-half percent above the level
of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The 2003 AMSA Index
marked the second year in-a-row that average sewer service charges have outpaced
inflation. Emergence of this trend in the Index may indicate that increasing
costs are 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 projects.
Detailed regional information from the 2003 AMSA Index relating to service charges is also available on AMSA’s website (http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/temp/mu04-findx.pdf). Figure 3 shows the distribution of 2003 service charges within each U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) region. The national average of $250.06 is shown on each chart as an overall reference. Figure 4 shows how the service charges within each EPA region have compared to the national average each year beginning in 1986. The 100% line in these charts reflects the national average service charge for each year. This figure shows that service charges in EPA regions 1, 3 4, and 10 have been consistently above the national average while service charges in EPA regions 7, 8 and 9 have been consistently below the national average.
Your Participation Is Encouraged!
Please take a moment to complete the attached Index survey questionnaire either
online (http://www.cleanwatercentral.org) or via hard copy. Again, please fax
completed hard copies to Mark Hoeke at 202/318-1472 no later than Friday,
October 29, 2004. 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@bluewin.ch.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this important request.
* This Member Update Provided to Affiliates for Information Only