Big Stink Over Sewer Fee Hike

The cost of flushing your waste keeps going up but now a big stink is being raised about a fee that tens of thousands of homeowners in Hamilton County are being asked to pay.

The Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority is under the gun by state officials to fix serious problems with the sewers on Signal Mountain, but they want all county ratepayers to share the burden.

This really hits the pockets of people in Red Bank. Michael Adkin's showed us his combined monthly water, sewer and garbage bill for his home on Greenleaf Street. He pays $45 for water and $65 for sewer service.

Now the WWTA, which took over Red Bank's sewers several years ago, wants to add another eight-dollar fee.

"I couldn't believe it," Adkins said. "We're already paying so much now that they want more for something I don't even have a problem with yet."

Red Bank ratepayers already pay almost nine dollars a month extra for repairs made to the city sewer system several years ago. They pay 40% more for sewer service than people outside Red Bank, according to city officials.

The WWTA wants to charge each and every one of it's 24,000 customers eight-dollars a month for "future" repairs that may or may not be needed. And these repairs would be done on the lines running from the house to the sewer line in the street, which up until now have been the responsibility of the homeowner.

The WWTA board passed this fee during a specially called meeting to handle problems on Signal Mountain with little, if any, public notice.

Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey said "some folks who don't have a problem are having to fix the problem of those who do, that sounds like a Yogi Bear-ism, but you understand what I'm saying."

WWTA board Chairman Henry Hoss took a grilling from County Commissioners last Thursday who were equally surprised. But the criticism won't mean anything will be done - the WWTA does not have to answer to any other body or group.

Red Bank City Manager Christopher Dorsey said "we didn't know until the next day about the eight-dollar service, or fee, that they were going to tack on. Otherwise we would have addressed it at that meeting."

Hoss told commissioners he thinks at least half of the county sewers lines to homes need repairs, and spreading the cost to all customers is fair. But Hoss admitted there are no studies that say exactly how many lateral service lines need repair.

"So if people need the work done, they're charged for it," Adkins said. "If no work's needed, I don't think the community should be billed for that kind of thing."

If the eight-dollar fee is imposed it would result in Red Bank home owners paying twice the extra service fees than what others pay for future, possible problems. Their fee would go from $8.71 to $16.71, on top of the regular water usage based rate. 

Because of the outcries from Red Bank city officials and county commissioners, the WWTA is holding off on imposing the eight dollar fee, for now.

Red Bank city manager Chris Dorsey says he wants to see if a compromise solution can be reached, but adds his city might consider withdrawing from the WWTA and managing it's own sewers, as it did a few years ago.