Authority agrees to release information to Fayetteville

FAYETTEVILLE — The city soon will have access to Washington Water Authority customer information to bill 18 customers who use authority water and city sewer.

The authority approved an agreement Monday allowing the two entities to share information. Authority members learned earlier this year officials couldn’t release information about the authority’s customers, even to the city.

The problem stemmed from a change to the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, which lawmakers changed in 2015 to stop the release of water customers’ information, said Josh Moore, authority manager.

The city calculates residents’ sewer bills based on water use. City officials used to call the authority and asked for water use, authority and city officials said. But, the authority adopted a policy prohibiting the information’s release this past March.

Then, state lawmakers changed the law again and allowed information sharing in some instances. Act 711 became law March 27.

Recently, attorney Steve Zega reviewed the city’s proposed agreement for the authority, Moore said. Zega served as the county attorney January 2015 to December 2016. He is familiar with the information sharing problem, Moore said.

Fayetteville submitted the contract to County Attorney Brian Lester, said Blake Pennington, assistant city attorney. Lester didn’t answer an email question about the agreement. The authority isn’t required to use the county attorney, he said.

Next, city staff will review the contract before it goes to the City Council, Pennington said. If approved, the contract will last in perpetuity unless the state law changes, Moore said.