Will federal aid help Bridgeport dodge higher sewer fees?
BRIDGEPORT — Federal lawmakers this week advised the all-Democrat City Council there should be federal funds available to further offset the $395 million costs of a sewer system upgrade, potentially helping to defray user fee hikes.
“Between the money you’re about to get, the infrastructure package just released by the Biden administration and via the earmark process, those are three different possible channels of resources,” U.S. Rep. Jim Himes said.
Himes and U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, all Democrats, spent an hour Wednesday briefing Bridgeport’s legislative body via teleconference on incoming and potential sources of federal aid related to COVID-19 pandemic relief and new Democratic President Joe Biden’s other priorities.
As previously reported, Bridgeport is expected to receive an estimated $127.34 million in federal school aid and $113.85 million for city government from the recent coronavirus relief package.
The timing of that legislation’s passage coincided with the recent council debate over whether to authorize Bridgeport’s Water Pollution Control Authority to get a $276.5 million loan and receive $118.5 million in federal grants for state-mandated upgrades to the West Side wastewater plant and to design plant improvements.
Under the WPCA’s worst case scenario, sewer user fees would subsequently rise in Bridgeport and Trumbull, which is connected to the former’s system, from the average current annual bill of $490 to $816 by 2027 and $1,064 by 2033.
The council delayed a vote last month to learn more, including about potential additional federal funds, and is expected to resume its debate at its meeting Monday.
Himes said Wednesday the coronavirus relief legislation “explicitly says it can be used for certain infrastructure projects. In the law those are specified in particular as water, sewer or broadband . ... How you guys decided to allocate that money is your job.”
But with the U.S. Treasury Department still working out the rules for the stimulus usage, Murphy noted: “You’ll have to work with our offices on specific projects. We tried to make eligibility as broad as possible, but I don’t want to answer eligibility questions definitively on this call.”
Blumenthal added the wastewater system upgrades are “the kind of application we’d go to bat to fight for and I’d look forward to doing it if it’s your choice.”
Councilwoman Maria Pereira in particular has been advocating for the WPCA to come up with other federal dollars rather than turning to its customers, although the WPCA did hold its fees steady for several years up until recently.
But Councilman Ernie Newton, a chairman of Bridgeport’s budget committee, told colleagues Wednesday, “There’s no way we’d ever take all the money ... and put it in the WPCA. We got other projects that need funding.”
And Councilman Marcus Brown added: “Certainly the WPCA infrastructure is important but I and many of my colleagues would like to see the money spent on helping businesses, renters, the homeless population.”
Himes said there is lots of COVID aid for rental assistance, homeless organizations, small businesses and restaurants.
“You’re going to have an unprecedented infusion of federal funds coming to you,” Murphy said.
Recently Lauren McBennett Mappa, the WPCA’s general manager, said she did not think Bridgeport could count on the coronavirus funds for the sewer plant, but was optimistic about Biden pursuing a separate infrastructure initiative. And the president unveiled that $2.3 trillion proposal this week.
“There are a number of potential hurdles in the way,” Blumenthal said, citing Republican opposition. “We’re going to do everything we can to overcome those as quickly as possible in a matter of weeks, not months.”
And Murphy also advised the council not to get too excited about the potential return of earmarks — federal dollars for federal lawmakers’ specific projects — after a ban that lasted a decade. “I just want to chill everybody's enthusiasm on earmarks,” he said. “I think it’s going to be on a really limited amount of projects. ... It’s not going to be like it was years ago.”
Newton said the council should not further postpone its vote on the $395 million sewer work Monday.
“We can’t wait two months down the road, three months down the road, because it needs such attention now,” Newton said. “I don’t want anyone to think ... ‘Let’s wait on the federal government to pass this enormous infrastructure bill.’”