Audio clip
Jack Benson
City officials say they will not back down from a rate proposal for water quality fees recently given to the City Council.
The only area where the city is open to discussion is the amount of credits that business, industries and institutions can receive from the fees, also known as stormwater fees.
"They could be tweaked," said Dan Johnson, chief of staff for Mayor Ron Littlefield.
On Friday, City Engineer Bill Payne met with Mike Price, president of Map Engineers and a member of the council's independent committee on water quality, to discuss credits to help reduce water quality bills, officials said. But the city did not talk to members of the independent committee about the rate structure.
"I got an e-mail from the city that the fee is not on the table," said Bill Raines, chairman of the independent committee. "I thought it was kind of surprising."
Last Tuesday, the City Council instructed the city administration and the independent committee to sit down and come up with a compromise.
Sources close to the situation said Friday that the two parties had come to a compromise on the credits and would wait for Mr. Littlefield to sign off on it Monday when he gets back from a trip to Brazil.
The council will get the results of the compromise on Tuesday during a Legal and Legislative Committee meeting. On that same day, the council could vote on an ordinance to set the water quality fees or vote to defer it another week.
Council Chairman Jack Benson said he expected to see something before the council Tuesday.
"They are willing to make some compromises," he said.
Controversy has stemmed from the water quality fee since last October, when the council approved a rate hike from $36 a year for residences to $115.20 a year. Businesses, churches and institutions could pay more because they can qualify as multiple residences.
The council's independent committee was set up to try to find ways to reduce the rates which, in turn, would reduce the size of the water quality program's budget. It presented the council with a $10 million proposed budget for the program while cutting the nonresidential rate.
The city administration countered by presenting a $12 million budget with a rate cut for nonresidential agencies, but increasing it to the same level as the residential rate in five years.
One question raised by city officials is the prospect of renegotiating the city's stormwater permit with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Mr. Littlefield said earlier this week that's no longer a possibility.
STORMWATER PERMIT
The city of Chattanooga has more than 70 requirements that must be met as part of its stormwater management program. A few of the highlights include:
* Keep an inventory of the entire stormwater drainage system.
* Inspect and maintain the drainage system.
* Develop and implement a street sweeping program.
* Educate the public about the proper use of handling, storing and disposing of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.
* Detect and remove any illicit discharges into the stormwater system.
* Work with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture to find nonchemical pest control techniques.
Source: Chattanooga's stormwater permit
"They've told me we cannot renegotiate our current permit," he said.
Davina Marraccini, a spokeswoman for Region 4 EPA, said this week the federal agency was letting TDEC handle most of the legwork on Chattanooga's case. The city is expected to go into negotiations later this year with federal and state regulators on a possible fine regarding the city's stormwater management practices.
TDEC spokeswoman Meg Lockhart said the city must meet the requirement of its original permit, which was issued in 1996. But even once that is accomplished, the requirements become more detailed and specific and "may be significantly expanded," she said.
Municipalities generally cannot reduce the requirements agreed to in their permits, she said.
Asked how much it would cost for the city to meet federal and state requirements, Ms. Lockhart said all programs are different.
"We don't know how much money Chattanooga's program will cost," she said. "It's really based on how Chattanooga approaches meeting their minimum requirements."
Continue reading by following these links to related stories:
Article: Stormwater plans could be consolidated, officials say
Cliff has worked for the Times Free Press for five years and covers Chattanooga city government. He previously covered Rhea County, as well as transportation and growth and development in Southeast Tennessee. A native of Maryville, Tenn., Cliff graduated in 2003 from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis on journalism. Before coming to Chattanooga, he was a crime reporter with Hernando Today, a supplement of The Tampa (Fla.) ...
Don't we hire these people who have made this decision? They are suppose to represent us, work FOR us. I say we fire them, or at the very least reduce their salaries. I want to know how much they make and where I can go to find out how they have come up with these costs increases, where the money will go, and the evidence to back all of it up. Who's to say it doesn't go into some corp junkie's pocket?
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