Wood says aldermen ‘turkeys’ for sewer plan
McMinnville officials have agreed to bore a hole under the bypass next to its intersection at Old Shelbyville Road. The digging will get city sewer from one side to the other and the city will annex a business that has requested it.
The owner of Nurse One, located at 597 Old Shelbyville Road, would like to be annexed into the city. However, along with that annexation, Nurse One would like to hook onto the city’s sewer line. The total cost for the project is $37,000.
According to Water and Wastewater director Carl Davis, the cost is higher than what is expected to hook onto the city’s line because the business is on one side of the bypass and the city’s sewer line is on the other.
In order to get from one side to the other, someone must bore a hole under the highway in order to place a pipe that would be used to get sewer across. Because of this unusual situation, Nurse One made a request to the Water and Sewer Committee to consider paying half of the project.
Two weeks ago, officials began considering the annexation of land along the highway because of possible future development. If annexation happens and development follows, getting sewer to the other side will have to be done at some point.
‘If we want to annex along the highway, that (boring the hole) would give us sewer along both sides,’ said Alderman Rick Barnes. ‘Crossing the highway will be necessary.’
In agreement with him were fellow Aldermen Patti Nunley and Bobby Kirby. Although Kirby doesn’t currently sit on the committee, he was present for the discussion.
With annexation and future development in mind, officials discussed widening the bore hole and using a larger case pipe that would fit more than one sewer line. Increasing the size of the hole will also increase the price. However, it will allow for sewer expansion in the future.
Alderman Billy Wood, who sat quietly through the discussion, seemed to be taken back by the situation when he did speak.
‘You turkeys,’ said Wood. ‘I do not understand how you can raise taxes two years in a row, refuse to lessen the tax burden of the people who elected you by expanding the tax base through annexation, and then ask those same people to bear half of the cost of one man’s project while you contemplate telling the property owners on Chancery Street to bend over.’
Two weeks ago, city officials agreed to consider a measure that would call for N. Chancery Street residents to pay two-thirds the cost of repairing and widening the street, estimated at $1.9 million, while refusing to annex land that would ‘spread the tax base.’ Wood says now they want to pay the majority of the cost when it comes to extending sewer to one not-yet-city resident who wants sewer.
‘You’re paying half of it for somebody,’ said Wood. ‘As far as John Q. Public taxpayer is concerned, it isn’t going to benefit them one iota. My big objection to it is the simple fact that there is not going to be anything else done with it. You are going to punch it through for that one guy and make taxpayers pay for half of it.’
According to Barnes, several residents around Wilson Lane have expressed an interested in being annexed into the city and having sewer. This expansion will get the sewer line almost to Wilson Lane and give the city an opportunity to get them sewer if they request annexation.
The committee voted 2-1 to move forward with paying for the bore. City administrator David Rutherford will present the committee’s decision to the business owner. If agreeable, the business will sign an agreement and petition the city for annexation.