Video TNGA Rep. Timothy Hill's Annual $1.8 Million Johnson City Water & Sewer Subsidy to Piney Flats

[doeriver]

Go to the YouTube Video: TNGA Rep. Timothy Hill's Annual $1.8 Million Johnson City Water & Sewer Subsidy to Piney Flats:
TNGA Rep. Timothy Hill's Annual $1.8 Million Johnson City Water & Sewer Subsidy to Piney Flats
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017128701

Excerpts from the Tennessee General Assembly HB0600 video (March 12, of the reported former congressional Wikipedia vandal and freshman Republican Rep. Timothy Hill presenting his legislative HB0600 proposal before the Tennessee House of Representatives Local Government Committee (chaired by his brother, Rep. Matthew Hill of Jonesborough) on March 12, 2013.

Some of the highlight here include Rep. Hill being caught in a lie by Democrat Rep. Sherry Jones (District 59- Nashville) about his having knowledge that the City of Johnson City would oppose his legislation that have created an annual $1,800,000 subsidy for Piney Flats customers of the Johnson City Water & Sewer Department, paid for by Johnson City residents, and Johnson City City Manager Pete Peterson reveling the undisclosed true cost of Hill's HB0600 and the fact that both Reps. Timothy Hill (his own Tennessee House District) and Matthew Hill (participated with the Tennessee House Districting following the 2010 U.S. Decennial Census) were unaware the Johnson City residents resided within the Tennessee 3rd House District.



Tennessee General Assembly - Rep. Timothy Hill
http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/house/members/h3.html
R-Blountville
District 3 — Carter, Johnson and part of Sullivan Counties — Map
District Address
P.O. Box 3071
Blountville, TN 37617

Nashville address:
301 6th Avenue North
Suite 23 Legislative Plaza
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone [phone]
Fax [phone]
[e-mail]

Tennessee General Assembly - Bill Information for HB0600
HB 0600 by *Hill T ( SB 0735 by *Green)
Johnson City - As introduced, prohibits Johnson City from raising water rates, on consumers located outside the city limits within Sullivan County, 50 percent or higher than the rate charged to consumers located within the city limits. - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 35; Title 7, Chapter 82 and Title 68.

[thomashubbardii]

1. Subsidize? That is comical!

Subsidize? That is comical! It was a bill to force JC to stop breaking the law and give fair and equitable sewer and water rates.

Rep Jones is the one who has no idea what she is talking about! Suggesting a tax increase is comical! It's also illegal! You can not raise taxes to cover water and sewer bills! It is against the law, they must operate as as self-sufficient entities.

T.C.A. 7-34-115 Section (a) which states, “Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary, as a matter of public policy, municipal utility systems shall be operated on sound business principles as self-sufficient entities. User charges, rates and fees shall reflect the actual cost of providing the services rendered. No public works shall operate for gain or profit or as a source of revenue to a governmental entity, but shall operate for the use and benefit of the consumers served by such public works and for the improvement of the health and safety of the inhabitants of the area served.”

[thomashubbardii]

2. He actually asked the City to follow the law?

So he asked for outside city residents to have fair water and equitable sewer rates that reflect actual cost of providing services? He asked The City of Johnson City to follow current law which they are clearly violating?

Wow! That’s one hell of a good reason to vote for him!

By law, whether you live inside the City or outside the City does not matter as far as rates are concerned. A utility rate differential must be justified. Legally, you cannot use the city boundary as a method for establishing a differential, only the actual cost of providing services should be considered.

The City currently violates law by using The City boundary as the means for establishing rate differentials and discriminates against a class of citizens known as, “outside city residents.” These residents are paying $160 a month water and sewer bills!

By law, The City of Johnson City must justify the expense with a uniform system of bookkeeping to record all financial activates of all funds (T.C.A.9-2-102). Johnson City should be able to easily identify the expense for servicing Piney Flats and other, “outside city residents” base their rate differential on that expense.
Instead of having separate books for each town they service showing the, “actual” expense, the water and sewer department has one (1) one P&L in which all of the funds are commingled. With this accounting and expense tracking methodology it is clear that The City cannot justify rates through actual expenses for each town they service. If the revenue, bonds, grants, expenses, and reserve funds are co-mingled, then by law everyone on the system should have the same rate.

I would suggest you review and reference T.C.A. 7-34-115 Section (a) which states, “Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary, as a matter of public policy, municipal utility systems shall be operated on sound business principles as self-sufficient entities. User charges, rates and fees shall reflect the actual cost of providing the services rendered. No public works shall operate for gain or profit or as a source of revenue to a governmental entity, but shall operate for the use and benefit of the consumers served by such public works and for the improvement of the health and safety of the inhabitants of the area served.”

The City of Johnson City doesn’t just rip off Piney Flats, they price gouge everyone in Gray, Jonesborough or anyone who is an, “outside city resident”

I’m glad we have a legislator who will finally stand up and fight for what’s right!