[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Town Council
of the Borough of Chambersburg 3-8-1995 by Ord. No. 95-5; amended
in its entirety 2-9-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-07. Subsequent amendments
noted where applicable.]
For the purpose of this chapter, the following
words and terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them:
The interval of time between two successive bills; under
normal conditions it will be approximately 30 days.
The Mayor and Town Council of the Borough of Chambersburg,
commonly known as the "Borough of Chambersburg" and/or its duly authorized
representative acting in its behalf.
Any business, commercial or professional undertaking functioning
independently of other undertakings, whether located upon a separate
parcel of land or upon the same parcel of land or within the same
building or structure with other establishments.
Natural gas that is compressed to pressures above 3,000 pounds
per square inch and used primarily as an alternative fuel for internal
combustion engines.
[Added 11-19-2012 by Ord.
No. 2012-12]
Any person, served with compressed natural gas from the gas
distribution system of the Borough.
[Added 11-19-2012 by Ord.
No. 2012-12]
A separate dwelling unit, apartment, room or group of rooms
used for separate dwelling purposes and equipped for the preparation
of food. In all cases the determination of the Borough as to what
constitutes a separate dwelling unit shall be final.
The amount of compressed natural gas that equals the energy
content of one liquid gallon of gasoline (109 cubic feet per GGE of
compressed natural gas).
[Added 11-19-2012 by Ord.
No. 2012-12]
Any individual, firm, corporation, association, or company.
Premises which are used solely for dwelling purposes and
other normal residential activity. Residential premises with publicly
advertised commercial operations shall be considered commercial establishments.
One hundred cubic feet (Ccf) of natural gas at standard temperature
and pressure.
Any person, as defined above, owning any property served
with gas from the gas distribution system of the Borough. The user
may designate that any person occupying his property receive the bills
for gas power service to that property.
A.
General service rate: domestic (301); commercial and
industrial (321).
B.
Space heating rate: domestic (311); commercial and
industrial (331); Borough use (382).
C.
Interruptible rate (342) and (343).
(1)
Availability. The interruptible rate shall be available
to commercial and industrial users when, in the judgment of the Gas
Department, sufficient supplies of gas are available for any usual
purpose on an interruptible basis upon execution of a service agreement
with the Borough. The user shall agree to provide and maintain, in
usable condition, standby facilities for the use of an alternate fuel
during periods of service curtailment. The Borough shall not be liable
for any loss or inconvenience incurred by any person as a result of
interruption or curtailment of gas service directed or accomplished
by the Borough under the terms of this chapter. The user will be responsible
for any extraordinary costs incurred by the Borough as a result of
failure to discontinue gas use when directed by the Borough.
D.
Firm industrial rate (361).
(1)
Availability. The firm industrial service rate shall
be available to industrial and commercial users on a firm basis upon
the execution of a service agreement with the Borough. The Borough
reserves the right to refuse to offer gas for sale under this rate
if, in its judgment, the quantity of gas requested by the user exceeds
that which could be furnished on a firm basis without detriment to
the service of other firm users.
(2)
Rates. The following rates shall be charged for gas
furnished under the firm industrial rate:
E.
Interruptible transportation (IT) gas service rate
(391).
(1)
Availability. The interruptible transportation gas
service rate shall be available to any commercial or industrial customer
whose rolling three-year average consumption is at least 500,000 units
per year and which has an operational, full requirements standby facility
in place. The customer must execute an interruptible transportation
service contract prior to commencement of service. Classification
into this rate is at the discretion of the utility. Gas supplied under
this schedule is for the exclusive use of the customer and shall not
be resold or shared with others.
(3)
Minimum bill. A customer under this rate schedule
shall either purchase an amount of transportation service equivalent
to at least $1,000 per month or pay in lieu of utilizing such transportation
service a monthly minimum bill of $1,025 gross or $1,000 net.
(4)
Customer service charge. A customer service charge
of $131.20 gross or $128 net per billing period shall be payable regardless
of the quantity of gas billed during the month.
(5)
Measurement and billing. For the purpose of billing
and measurements, the volume of natural gas shall be measured in cubic
feet and billed in Ccf units.
F.
Compressed
natural gas rates.
[Added 11-19-2012 by Ord.
No. 2012-12]
(1)
Compressed
natural gas consumer rate availability. The compressed natural gas
consumer rate shall be available to any compressed natural gas consumer.
(2)
Fleet fueling rate availability. Any compressed natural gas consumer who desires to purchase in excess of 2,000 GGE of compressed natural gas per calendar month, unless a lower amount is otherwise approved by the Gas Department Superintendent to be in the best interest of the Borough, may request a fleet fueling agreement in accordance with the fleet fueling rates established in accordance with Subsection F(3) below. The Borough reserves the right to refuse to enter into a fleet fueling agreement if, in its sole discretion and judgment, the quantity of compressed natural gas requested by the compressed natural gas consumer exceeds that which could be furnished on a fleet basis without detriment to the other consumers of the system.
(3)
Rate
and service charges. The initial compressed natural gas consumer rate
per GGE of compressed natural gas shall be established by resolution
of Town Council, which compressed natural gas consumer rate may be
adjusted pursuant to the Compressed Natural Gas Adjustment Formula
established by resolution. The Town Council may adopt various other
rates per GGE for different classes of users, and may establish various
service charges and adjustment formulas related to the provision of
compressed natural gas.
(4)
Billing. Notwithstanding § 160-5, the terms for billing and payment for the sale of compressed natural gas sold in accordance with an authorized fleet fueling agreement shall be in accordance with the terms for billing and payment set forth in the fleet fueling agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Town Council may establish by resolution, from time to time, terms for billing and payment for the sale of compressed natural gas to compressed natural gas consumers, including, but not limited to provisions for payment at the point of sale.
[1]
Editor's Note: Ord. No. 2009-07 provided that
the rates established by this chapter would take effect with all gas
service bills rendered on or after 4-28-2009.
A.
Every gas sales rate contained in this chapter (except
for the interruptible transportation rate) shall be subject to the
purchased gas adjustment.
B.
The total bill, both gross and net each billing period,
shall be increased or decreased by an amount equal to the purchased
gas adjustment charge times the number of units of 100 cubic feet
(Ccf) of gas billed to the Borough customer during the current billing
period.
C.
The purchased gas adjustment charge will be computed
using the Borough's monthly updated forecasted gas costs for the billing
period.
D.
The gas sales rates include a base purchase gas cost
of $0.9600 per 100 cubic feet (Ccf). The purchased gas adjustment
charge will be computed from the monthly forecast of gas costs, adjusted
for any prior period over or under collection, less the amount of
purchased gas cost of $0.9600 per Ccf included in the base rates.
E.
The purchased gas adjustment charge shall be calculated
monthly based on the following formula:
PGA =
|
(FGC + R) - Base
|
FGS
| |
Where:
| |||
PGA
|
=
|
Purchased gas adjustment applied to the number
of billing units (Ccf).
| |
FGC
|
=
|
Monthly forecasted gas costs for the billing
period.
| |
R
|
=
|
Reconciliation factor. The reconciliation factor
shall be a monthly add-on or credit, as determined by the Borough's
Gas Superintendent or his designee, to recover in the current calendar
year any over/under collection of all purchased gas costs for the
prior calendar year.
| |
FGS
|
=
|
The forecasted gas sales for the billing period.
| |
Base
|
=
|
Base purchased gas cost per Ccf of $0.9600 included
in sales rates.
|
[Amended 2-26-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-04]
Terms and conditions of service, including, but not limited
to: establishing service, billing for service, interest and penalties,
payment requirements, and termination of service shall be in accordance
with the Utility Service Manual, as may be revised from time to time
by the Mayor and Town Council, and shall be available for public inspection
at the Utility Offices at Borough Hall, the Utilities Service Center
at 80 South Franklin Street, and online at www.chambersburgpa.gov.
[Amended 2-26-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-04]
Where, as a result of equipment malfunction, estimated billing,
billing error, or other circumstances, gas service is rendered, but
not billed, the unbilled gas service may be retroactively charged
to the customer, provided that the services at issue were rendered
within the last three years. The charges for service shall be determined
in accordance with the Utility Service Manual adopted by Town Council
from time to time.
Town Council shall have the right to establish, from time to
time, by resolution, rules, regulations, provisions, terms or standards
under which gas service shall be rendered, which shall be supplemental
to the standards set forth in the Utility Service Manual.
This chapter may be cited as the "Borough Gas
Rate Ordinance of 2009."