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<br /> <br />system. So we’re going to probably have to be more aggressive about going after <br />people to fine them for not hooking up to the system. <br /> <br /> Mr. Matsuda: When they do not hook up to the sewer system, what is the <br />process that you would go through? <br /> <br /> Ms. Leithead-Todd: When we put a new sewer line in, everybody along the line <br />you know, we’re required to put a lateral to the property. We send out notices that they <br />have 180 days to hook up into the sewer system and then what we do at the end of the <br />180 days, we start billing them for sewer service. <br /> <br /> Ms. Leithead-Todd: So what we do is we start billing them, but what we have not <br />done is gone after people and fined them for failing to hook up. We’ve just started <br />charging them the sewer fee and some of those people have never paid. We’d have to <br />set up some rules like we are going to do with the water shut off. <br /> <br /> Mr. Perry: Is that a significant number of places that did not hook up? <br /> <br /> Ms. Leithead-Todd: There’s a significant number that didn’t hook up. Some of it <br />because people feel like they shouldn’t have to, like in Hawaiian Homestead properties, <br />some because the cost of hooking up is prohibitive. So we’re going to have to take a <br />look at that, but right now we’re going to be setting the procedures up for the water shut <br />off, the notice letters, the language that’s going to go in and we think that will help us a <br />lot with collections. And we also in terms of revenue are still in the process of finalizing <br />a sewer rate increase study. The rates have not been raised since 2002. <br /> <br /> Mr. Perry: Is there any way to, are you working on a way to get the people that <br />did not connect and have a problem with the cost to have a monthly fee or something <br />like that. I guess you would have to take on responsibility for putting it in. Are there <br />some alternatives there? <br /> <br /> Ms. Leithead-Todd: Currently we just charge them the fee that we would charge <br />you as if you were hooked up which right now for the residential customers $27 a <br />month, so we send them a bill for $27 a month. What we have not done is what <br />something like with what the Planning Department does with zoning violations. We give <br />you a notice of violation, you give them an opportunity to correct the violation and then <br />give them notice that you know in 30 days if you have not responded, have not <br />corrected the violation then you’re going to start getting a $500 a day or a $100 a day <br />fine and we haven’t done that. I don’t know if I’d want to be that ornery because a lot of <br />the problem for people is financial. We have directed people in the past to, for low <br />income, that they can go to Housing there’s like a loan program where you can borrow <br />money for home repairs and about a $15,000 loan and that would help a lot of them <br />because that would cover the cost and that typically they have either a no payment or <br />you don’t pay until many, many years later with those loans that Housing has. For <br />commercial guys, I don’t think they can get, they have to do it because of the <br />Department of Health so there’s some enforcement there. <br /> <br /> Mr. Matsuda: So commercial aren’t required to do that then? <br /> <br /> <br />3 <br /> <br /> <br />