SEWER USE FEE

It is Branford's responsibility to collect and treat its sewage in a manner that guarantees the lowest environmental impact possible. In order to ensure that adequate funds are available to operate and maintain our sewage collection system and treatment plant, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) requires that a dedicated revenue source be set-aside for that purpose. In the past, the money came from our Town's General Fund, which meant that all residents contributed the same percentage of their property tax. In 2007, the Town instituted a system that charges a user fee to people connected to the sewer. 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 people whose homes are worth much more, so the burden falls on those who can least afford it.

When we ran in 2007, we stated that the sewer use fee system needed to be changed. We pledged to work to create a more equitable funding system that (1) bases the amount charged on the amount of water used and (2) records the payment as a tax instead of a fee, so that residents can once again qualify for a tax deduction the way they did in the past.

Once in office, we asked the Regional Water Authority (RWA) to provide our Town with their data on water use by individual accounts in Branford so that the sewer use fee can be determined by the amount of water used. We quickly learned that RWA was in the process of changing its record-keeping system and were told that once that process is complete, the information will be provided. We look forward to delivering on our promise to implement a use-based sewer use fee within a year.