Moffitt's bill forbids Hendersonville to charge higher water rates outside city limits

According to a news release on May 8, North Carolina Sen. Tim Moffitt introduced a bill into legislation to forbid the city of Hendersonville to charge higher water rates for people living outside of the city limits.

Senate Bill 906 was filed on May 7, according to the release, and it also requires that residents outside of the city limits be treated in an equitable fashion when it comes to rule making by the public enterprise. A municipal public enterprise includes any business activity owned or operated by a city, such as water, sewer, solid waste, electric, natural gas, public transportation systems, cable television, off-street parking facilities, airports and stormwater services, the release said.

“For decades, the city and county have been at a loggerheads regarding the city's urban sprawl and its impacts on county residents and volunteer fire departments,” said Moffitt in the release. “Recent conversations regarding a joint city/county water and sewer authority have essentially fallen apart. This legislation will rekindle that process.”

The bill also reforms the process where property is potentially annexed into the city. Currently, property owners can petition the city to be voluntarily annexed. Moffitt's bill adds the additional requirement that property owners certify there was no undue coercion exercised by the city by way of withholding services without the petition for annexation.

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The legislation also restricts how public enterprise dollars may be spent, the release said. Ratepayer revenues cannot be commingled to pay for any of Hendersonville’s other financial obligations.

The bill will need to go through the committee process in the Senate, pass the full Senate and then go through the committee process in the House. It will have to pass the full House before it becomes law. If passed, the law will become effective on June 30, the release said.

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Bill keeps Hendersonville from charging higher water rates outside city