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MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Several lawmakers said they will try again later this year or next year to pass a bill that would ban Jefferson County from imposing a sewer service fee on owners of homes or other property not directly connected to the sewer system.

Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-Morris, said Wednesday that he thinks it would be wrong to impose nonuser fees on people whose homes or businesses use septic tanks.

“I think it’s absolutely unfair. I’ll either sponsor or co-sponsor any legislation that would stop anybody who would want to put a fee on those folks,” Treadaway said.

The Legislature last week adjourned without passing a bill, sponsored by Rep. Owen Drake, R-Leeds, that would have banned any county that owns or operates a sewer system from charging or collecting any fee related to sewer service on any residence, business or other property not directly connected to the sewer system.

The House of Representatives on May 31 voted 80-2 for House Bill 142, but the Senate never voted on the plan, which died when this year’s regular legislative session ended June 9.

Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, said the bill “got lost in the shuffle” in the Senate’s last few meeting days. He said he supported the bill. “If you’re on a septic tank .¤.¤. you shouldn’t be paying a nonuser fee. I think it would be unfair,” Waggoner said.

Next year’s regular session of the Legislature starts Feb. 7, but Gov. Robert Bentley could call lawmakers into special session before then.

“Hopefully, we can come back next year or in a special session and revisit this issue,” said Rep. Paul DeMarco, R-Homewood. “To have a nonuser fee is not fair to those who are not on the sewer.”

The court-appointed overseer of Jefferson County’s sewer department, John S. Young, said in a report he filed with a judge Tuesday that imposing a “clean water fee” on all county residents or residents not now connected to the sewer system “remains a viable and appropriate option” for the county or Legislature to consider.

Young wrote that all county residents benefit from clean water, which the sewer system protects, so it’s “not unreasonable to require everyone to contribute to ensure the system’s continued viability.” The county has a $3.2 billion sewer debt.

Rep. Demetrius Newton, D-Birmingham, who voted against Drake’s bill, said he opposed a ban on nonuser sewer fees because people who use restrooms at offices, museums or many other places in the Birmingham area use the county sewer system. “I don’t think there’s any such thing as a nonuser,” Newton said.

But David Carrington, president of the five-member Jefferson County Commission, said he didn’t think the Commission would impose a nonuser fee.

“I doubt very seriously the Commission would pass such a fee,” Carrington said. “I think we need to resolve the sewer issue within the sewer revenue stream.”

Commissioner Joe Knight said he would oppose a nonuser fee. “The citizens in my district who are not on sewer are adamantly opposed to a nonuser fee,” Knight said.

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