Bills To Help Coventry Residents With Sewer Costs

From Rhode Island General Assembly: Members of the General Assembly that represent the Town of Coventry have introduced a package of bills aimed to address residents’ concerns revolving around the construction of new sewer lines throughout the town. Those residents who live in sections where the sewers have been expanded will now have to pay for tie-in fees, use fees, and assessment fees, regardless of whether they possess a fully compliant septic system.

Sen. Leonidas P. Raptakis, Rep. Patricia A. Serpa, and Rep. Jared R. Nunes have introduced three bills to address citizens’ concerns regarding the controversial sewer construction project. The three legislators, along with other members of the Coventry delegation at the General Assembly, also sent a letter on January 9 to the state’s Auditor General asking for a formal audit of the Coventry sewer fund.

The first bill (2017-S 2010 / 2017-H 7205), introduced by Senator Raptakis and Representative Serpa, would cap what Coventry charges residents to be more aligned with the interest rate the town is paying on sewer construction bonds.

“This should not be a money-making scheme for the town. We must make sure this is fair to homeowners and that no undue burden is being placed on those who are affected by the sewer expansion project. It’s unjustifiable that the homeowner be charged twice the percentage the town is being charged as a rate for the sewer construction project loan or bond,” said Senator Raptakis (D-Dist. 33, Coventry, East Greenwich, West Greenwich).

“This is already an exorbitant and unnecessary expense for so many in Coventry and the town should not be charging its residents any more than the actual cost of the project. There are too many families, seniors, and those living on fixed incomes, who are facing true financial harm due to the mandate of this project. This bill will protect the taxpayers from the large interest rates for a project they do not want in the first place,” said Representative Serpa (D-Dist. 27, West Warwick, Coventry, Warwick).

The second bill (2017-S 2020 / 2017-H 7051), introduced by Senator Raptakis and Representative Nunes, would address the issue of sewers at the point of sale of a home, rather than force a mandate on vulnerable residents who may be forced to leave their homes due to a new and sudden financial burden that they cannot shoulder.

“One also must question the wisdom of mandating an expense, which may amount to 20 percent of the assessed value of one’s home, for which there is no real benefit to those residents with fully compliant septic systems. There are the costs of assessments, tie-in fees and use fees that will be pushed upon residents that are already stressed due to high taxes and a high cost of living,” said Representative Nunes (D-Dist. 25, Coventry, West Warwick).

The last bill (2017-S 2085 / 2017-H 7206), also sponsored by Senator Raptakis and Representative Nunes, would amend Coventry's sewer system enabling legislation to allow appropriations from town tax fund for wastewater system sewers/projects only after voter approval.

“As elected legislators of the Town of Coventry, we represent the citizens of Coventry regarding their well-being, quality of life, and all other issues of concern, especially in regards to the sewer project,” concluded Senator Raptakis, Representative Serpa, and Representative Nunes.

Photo courtesy of Rhode Island General Assembly