Trumbull/Bridgeport Reach Tentative Settlement on Water Treatment

Trumbull and Bridgeport came to a tentative settlement on Trumbull’s contract for water treatment.

Trumbull will get several benefits through the new agreement, said First Selectman Tim Herbst. Trumbull can be under the new contract for up to 10 years. Eventually the town will look at the possibility of using Stratford or Stratford and Fairfield’s water treatment.

Some highlights include:

• Bridgeport was demanding a 0% discount be applied to the Town of Trumbull and that did not happen. The Town of Trumbull will retain a discount rate for a significant period of time.

• The City of Bridgeport cannot direct bill our residents as they attempted to do through various administrative and legal challenges. What Bridgeport residents pay for their rate, we will pay the same to Bridgeport.

• If we fail to find an alternate location in the next ten years we have reserved our right to file a rate appeal after year ten.

• The old contract between Trumbull and Bridgeport had a penalty provision if we went over the number of gallons allocated. In this tentative agreement, there is no penalty provision.

• The City of Bridgeport wanted $2.2 million dollars in arrearage from the Town of Trumbull. Under the terms of this agreement we will only pay $1.6 million dollars, a savings of over $600,000.

• Sewer rates will not increase due to this payment.

• The Town will not be paying litigation and engineering costs to fight this rate, which represents an estimated savings of $100,000 per year.

• As it relates to the escrow account reference above, once Trumbull cedes from Bridgeport and develops an alternate solution, all money placed in the escrow account will inure to the Town of Trumbull. This money can be used at a future date to provide our residents with rate relief or be used to offset the capital costs associated with upgrading our system or relocating to another, adjoining municipality.

The Trumbull Board of Finance and Town Council will have to vote on the settlement before it becomes permanent.