By Shelly Kirchner
Correspondent
Property owners in Spring City may see their water bills going up if they spring a leak.
At its March 4 meeting, the City Commission passed on first reading an ordinance that will help the city stem a significant revenue loss, officials said.
The ordinance would make property owners pay for all water use because of leaks. In the past, the city has waived some of these costs.
A second vote will be held after a yet-to-be-scheduled public hearing.
Customers would have to pay for wasted water but not for sewer usage caused by a leak, Mayor Mary Sue Garrison said.
“The resident or property owner will have to pay for the water usage and any repairs on their property,” Ms/ Garrison said. “Customers’ sewer bills are based on their water usage. The city can write off the sewer portion of the leak charge because we won’t be cleaning the clean water.”
Local businessman Jim Reed said the policy is standard in other communities.
“I deal with four area utilities on a daily basis,” Mr. Reed said. “Spring City is not doing an injustice to its property owners; it is just following the same practice that other utilities use.”
Commission also approved a resolution that could bring clean water to the residents on Ideal Valley Road whose wells suffer from iron contamination.
Ms. Garrison said the city must apply for a $420,000 grant that will be awarded in 2012. The money will supplement $300,000 that Rhea County gave for the project from a community development block grant for extending water lines to low-income areas.
Shelly Kirchner is based in Rhea County. Contact her at skirchner@bellsouth.net.