Who voted to raise your sewer bills using an unverifiable system?
RAINSVILLE, Al. — At the June 7, 2021, Rainsville City Council meeting, a unanimous vote ushered in a dramatic increase in sewer bills for approximately 800 residents, tying sewer charges directly to water usage. The decision, formalized through Ordinance 07-06-2021, has drawn sharp criticism for its perceived unfairness and lack of transparency.
Derek Rosson made a motion and Rickey Byrum made the second and all council members voted unanimously to “Suspend the rules for immediate consideration of ordinance 07-06-2021.
By suspending the rules, the council can immediately vote on an issue and pass it, for it to go into effect immediately. This gave the city the ability to immediately increase all sewer customer’s bills.
Here is the actual voting on the ordinance that increased everyone’s sewer bills:
A motion was made by Derek Rosson and seconded by Brandon Freeman, to pass and adopt ordinance 07-06-2021. ALL council members voted YES on this and it passed unanimously.
Derek Rosson voted YES
Monk Blevins voted YES
Benjan Taheri voted YES
Rickey Byrum voted YES
Brandon Freeman voted YES
Notably, only Freeman was connected to the city’s sewer system at the time, raising questions about the council’s impartiality. Passing this increase did not personally financially affect any council members, except Freeman. And as of today, Freeman is still the only council member connected to the sewer. So, all other council members have not had to personally deal with this increase, for the past 4 years.
Under the new billing structure, sewer charges now mirror water usage at a 100% match. For example, using 1,000 gallons of water results in a sewer bill for 1,000 gallons, regardless of whether the water enters the sewer system. Previously, residents paid a flat $22 monthly sewer fee. Now, bills have doubled, tripled, or risen even higher for many, with no option to disconnect from the sewer system once connected.
Critics argue the policy unfairly burdens residents. For instance, water used to fill a swimming pool or irrigate a garden or your lawn, washing your car…etc., that water does not involve the sewer system—but customers are still being billed as sewer usage. “It’s essentially a profit scheme,” one resident remarked, noting that the city benefits financially from water that never reaches the sewer.
The ordinance also raises concerns about equity, as Rainsville’s sewer plant serves other towns and schools. With only 800 sewer customers in a city of 5,500, residents question why they bear the cost of system upgrades and maintenance benefiting non-residents. Prior to the vote, several council members were warned that the 100% match was unverifiable and unfair, as not all water usage correlates with sewer output. These concerns were dismissed.
A 2021 report highlighted the financial impact: households with water bills of $26.38 or less face a 20% sewer bill increase, while those with $70 water bills see a staggering 220% hike.
The agreement between Rainsville and the Waterworks, Sewer & Gas Board of the Town of Section, also discussed on June 7, 2021 shifted billing responsibilities to the board, further complicating oversight. Residents are left with little recourse, trapped in a system that charges them for sewer usage they may not using.
As frustration mounts, the council’s decision continues to spark debate over fairness, transparency, and the financial burden placed on Rainsville’s sewer customers. Council members have recently been asked to address the issue again. Some have said they “would check into it”, or “we will see what we can do”. It is election year and now there seems be a little concern about it. But what about the last 4 years in which they had no problem collecting money at a 100% water usage match, with no way to prove 100% of that water went down the sewer?
Some council members stated, “This is what other cities are doing”. Why do we need to copy other cities? Do we elect officials to our city council to just “copy what other cities are doing”? If so, then why do we even need a city government? Just copy what other cities do.
Our elected officials need to be able to think and act for themselves, not simply depend on copying what other cities are doing.
EXCERPT BELOW FROM OUR RECENT ARTICLE ON THIS TOPIC
Example 1: Fill your swimming pool up with say 1,000 gallons of water. You pay the waterboard for that 1,000 gallons of water, then you pay the City of Rainsville for that 1,000 gallons of water going down the city’s sewer pipe. But the water never went down the sewer pipe, it is in your swimming pool.
Example 2: We have a dry Summer and you water your garden each day for month. You use 500 gallons of water on your garden during a month. You pay the waterboard for that 500 gallons of water, but then you also pay the City of Rainsville, at a 100% match rate, for that same water going down their sewer pipe. Problem is, that water went into your garden and into the ground, it never went into the sewer pipe.
At this point, the city and sewer system are making a “profit” off of its citizens. Because every ounce of water the city charges your for going down the sewer pipe, that actually never goes down the sewer, it a direct profit the city is making.
Excerpt from 2021 newspaper article:
The Rainsville City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, June 7, 2021. In the work session, it was stated that an agreement had been reached between the city and the Waterworks Water, Sewer & Gas Board of the Town of Section (WWSGBS) for them to start billing sewer customers for the City of Rainsville.
According to sources, this new billing system will cause a lot of sewer customer’s bills to skyrocket. Currently, Rainsville sewer customers are paying $22.00 a month for sewer service. If your water bill runs $26.38 a month or less, then your increase will be around a 20% increase, from $22.00 up to $26.38 a month. If you actually use water, then here is a break out of the new increase you will see.
Monthly Water bill Monthly Sewer bill increase
$26.38 or less 20% increase
$30.00 35% increase
$40.00 80% increase
$50.00 130% increase
$60.00 175% increase
$70.00 220% increase
This new billing system is going to be tied directly to how much water you use. So, if you use water to wash your car, water your lawn, plants or garden, fill your swimming pool, or use water for any outside use, you will pay for that on your sewer bill, even though that water never went into the sewer system.
