SEWER USE FEE

Branford has the responsibility to collect and treat its sewage in a way that achieves the lowest environmental impact possible. In order to be sure that the funds needed for operation and maintenance of the sewage collection system and treatment plant are available, the Department of Environmental Protection requires there to be a dedicated source of income for that purpose. In the past, the money came from the General Fund, which meant that everyone contributed the same percentage of their property tax. This year, the Town instituted a system that charges a user fee to people connected to the sewer. The first bills have now gone out and the inequities of the system have become clear. As it is a fee, not a tax as it was under the previous system, it raises the question as to whether or not it be taken as a deduction for tax purposes. Residential households that connect to the sewer are all charged the same amount and businesses that connect are charged based on the size of their building, regardless of the amount they discharge to the sewers or their ability to pay. This means that businesses or residents that discharge little to the system subsidize those that discharge a lot. Even worse, people owning lower value homes are paying the same amount as the people whose homes are worth much more, even though the reduction in their taxes is much smaller. The burden falls on those who can afford it least. The system needs to be changed.

We will work to create a more equitable funding system in which (1) the amount paid is based on the amount of water used, and (2) the payment is a tax instead of a fee, so that residents can be sure to get a tax deduction as they have been able to in the past.