Columbia City Council – February 10, 2015

By Temple Ligon

Council met Tuesday night at City Hall. The major contention of the night was the feasibility study on the concept of privately run water and sewer systems. The federal government fined the city $500,000 for faulty systems, and as the city paid the fine, it began its plan to repair and upgrade at a cost of $750,000,000 over the next ten years.

Just where to find the $750,000,000 has something to do with researching privatized water and sewer systems around the country.

A resolution was put before council as an attitude adjustment and a statement of intent:

“Resolution No. R-2015-014 – Instructing the City Manager to communicate City Council’s objection to any change in the Laws of the State of South Carolina that would eliminate the need for a referendum when a political subdivision desires to sell a water and/or wastewater treatment and distribution system.”

Point being, council was looking for efficiencies in the systems elsewhere that might fit Columbia.

Howard Duvall, former head of the Municipal Association, begged council to research Rock Hill, S. C., for those efficiencies in play in a fully public system. Rock Hill, it must be noted since Duvall didn’t, operates a municipal electric power system like Austin, Texas, and Los Angeles, Calif.

A representative member of the Sierra Club declared an investigation of private water and sewer systems a really bad idea.

Virginia Sanders said she was upset council was even looking into the idea of privatization.  She had a friend in another city with privatized water who installed a $10,000 Culligan water cleaning system, not trusting the privatized city system to deliver clean water.

Elaine Cooper quoted a guide published by the World Bank titled “Ten Reasons to Avoid Privatization.”

Tim Pierce wryly suggested all of state government get privatized if privatization is such a good idea.

Kevin Gray complained privatization would put the water and sewer systems in the hands of people obligated to shareholders, not citizens.

Former county council member Kit Smith warned the crowd with an expression she heard in her childhood in the Upstate: “Don’t court an ugly old woman because you could easily end up marrying her.” In other words, with enough investigation and research and discussions over privatization, council could end up marrying the idea.