Archdale’s residential sewer customers who live outside the city limits are having a case of sticker shock.

Elinor Ellis, who lives at 6207 Modlin Grove Road, said that every year her sewer rate has gone up and now she’s looking at $80 per month for 2010-2011.

Ellis recalled a rate of about $55 when she moved to her house three years ago and her neighbor Jacqueline Hoffman told her it was $29 in 1999.

“Three and a half years ago, if I had known my sewer was going to be $80, I would have said no,” Ellis told City Council members at their June 22 meeting.

Residents who buy both water and sewer service from Archdale and live outside the city limits pay a minimum of $32 per month for the sewer portion. Wastewater is not metered, so charges are based on the amount of water a customer uses.

Because sewer-only customers have no meters, the city charges a flat rate of $80 for non-residents, regardless of how many gallons a person or family uses.

Archdale doesn’t have many of those flat-rate customers — about 25 inside the city and 17 outside, plus a handful of businesses.

“We just don’t really serve outside the city very much,” Finance Director Lori Nurse told the NEWS.

Modlin Grove residents were allowed to tap into a line that originally sent wastewater to High Point’s treatment plant, but was cut off by highway construction. In another area of Archdale, the city and Guilford County went in together to install sewer for residents whose septic systems were failing. Guilford County gets one-fourth of that revenue.

Ellis was also concerned about failing septic systems in her neighborhood. She asked the Council to consider keeping rates more affordable so that more people would tap in to help pay the city’s costs.

“Our costs are very reasonable,” said Councilman Eddie Causey, who mentioned that some other cities charge $120. “When we set the water and sewer rates, we don’t try to make a profit,” he said.

Archdale receives no tax income from nonresidents. “We invest in the infrastructure, and the only thing we get is sewer,” said Causey.

Because of the flat rate, Ellis can’t reduce her bill by conserving water. And she can’t connect to city water, because it’s not available in her neighborhood.

But there is another way to reduce her bill. She could request annexation.

According to the value listed on the Guilford County Geographical Information System, Ellis would pay an extra $312 per year in taxes if her property were annexed into Archdale. But she could save $480 per year in sewer fees. Aside from the initial cost of $350 for annexation, Ellis would see a net savings of about $168 per year.

Her neighbor would not be as lucky. Hoffman’s larger parcel would add $770 in annual taxes. She also would save $480 per year with sewer, but annexation would cost her an extra $290 per year at the current rates.

Both parcels abut the city limits. They are adjacent to the new industrial park on N.C. 62, owned by Sixty Two Properties LLC, that was voluntarily annexed in 2008.