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Three special-purpose districts have agreed to turn over sewer-collection services for a combined 28,000 customers to MetroConnects as part of a consolidation plan that is expected to win final approval next week.
The board for MetroConnects, which is also known as the Metropolitan Sewer Subdistrict, voted unanimously during a meeting Tuesday to approve sewer-collection agreements with the Berea Public Service District; the Marietta Water, Sanitation and Sewer District; and the Wade Hampton Fire and Sewer District.
The agreements still must be approved by the Greenville County Council as part of a larger sewer-consolidation plan that is scheduled to come up for a final vote next Tuesday.
Three other districts — Gantt Fire, Sewer and Police District; Parker Sewer and Fire Subdistrict; and Taylors Fire and Sewer District — have filed a lawsuit seeking to block the sewer-consolidation plan.
Money and power are at stake: Battle lines have been drawn over Greenville County sewers
Should that legal challenge fail, the consolidation plan would let county officials essentially dissolve the special-purpose districts and take control of their fire departments if they refuse to voluntarily relinquish their sewer-collection services.
In exchange for giving up sewer-collection service, the Berea and Wade Hampton districts are expected to be allowed to keep operating their fire departments.
Lewis Tollison, chairman of the Wade Hampton district, said in an email Tuesday that the district's commission 'was proud of our sewer department's work.'
But he also said that the commission did not want the district to lose all of its powers.
'In order for our residents to continue being represented by an elected board, at a special called meeting this past Wednesday, the Wade Hampton Fire and Sewer District Commission voted to adopt a memorandum of understanding to transfer sewer service to MetroConnects while keeping fire protection in its current autonomous form as a Special Purpose District,' Tollison said.
The Marietta district also likely will be permitted to continue providing water service to its customers in northern Greenville County.
The Marietta district joined the Gant, Parker and Taylors districts in the lawsuit, but attorney Robert Childs, who represents Marietta, said the district will probably end its involvement in the case after its agreement with MetroConnects receives final approval.
Marietta decided to give up its sewer-collection service because 'it seemed like the most economical thing to do,' Childs said Tuesday.
According to a financial analysis conducted this year, customers in the Marietta district would see their annual sewer-collection charges drop from $908.88 to $210.36 by switching to MetroConnects, a 76.9% decrease.
The same study found that annual sewer-collection charges for customers in the Berea district would decrease 7.5% annually, while charges for customers in the Wade Hampton district would increase by 35.5% annually.
Officials with the Berea district could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.
Proponents of the consolidation plan say that six special-purpose districts can't afford or are unwilling to spend at least $245 million to repair and replace hundreds of miles of aging sewer pipes, a dilemma that could harm the environment and hinder development.
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The plan's detractors argue that the districts already have spent millions on fixing these pipes and offer their residents a high level of personalized service.
Kirk Brown covers government and politics for The Greenville News. Follow him on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM.
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This article originally appeared on Greenville News: 3 Greenville County special-purpose districts relinquish sewer services to MetroConnects
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