The Town of Summerdale is no longer in the sewer business. 

On Monday night, council voted unanimously to extend a franchise agreement to Baldwin County Sewer Service (BCSS), a Foley-based private company, which provides sewer collection services for Central and South Baldwin, including Fort Morgan and Lillian. 

BCSS will take over the town’s treatment facility, which was beset with a discharge problem; the soil discharge area could not adequately absorb the sewage, similar to a septic tank, according to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. 

Bids were accepted previously by the town to build a new facility, but the town’s debt limit of $4 million could not fully satisfy cost requirements, council officials have said. 

The agreement allows BCSS “to acquire, own, operate, construct, enlarge and improve a sewer collection system in the Town and its jurisdiction” for a period of 30 years, according to the ordinance. 

BCSS has proposed to connect the town’s current sewer lines to its system, thereby treating wastewater at one of its plants. 

Council considered an offer by Integra Water, which would have built a discharge line to a local creek, and charged residential customers based on water consumption, $37.50 plus $5.75 per 1000 gallons over the first 6,000 gallons of usage.  Connection fees to the system would be tied to U.S. Treasury Bills with estimated increases of 5.5 percent annually

Commercial customers, under the agreement, would be charged 1.25 times the residential rate. 

BCSS will offer a flat rate, $34.50 per month, and agreed that the company will keep connection fees at $500 per connection in the town limits and $250 per connection in the planning jurisdiction, according to the ordinance.

BCSS will also pay an annual 3 percent franchise fee on its gross revenues generated within the town.  

In other action,

Council member Norma Giles announced that Cindy Suggs will serve as librarian for the town’s newest facility, the Marjorie Younce Snook Public Library.

Suggs said that she is in the process of acquiring children’s books, and council approved $2,500 for the endeavor.  The library board also agreed to provide $2,500 on Tuesday. 

Summary: Summerdale PD Report for July:

-254 citations; 59 warnings; 30 incident / offense reports; 24 arrests, including nine for DUI and 6 for public intoxication, one burglary and the recovery of a stolen vehicle, among others.