Shelby County scraps $35 million sewer plan
Shelby County has withdrawn a plan that would have increased sewer fees for some residents and cost the county $35 million to create a new wastewater treatment plant.
In August, Shelby County submitted a plan to take over city sewer systems in unincorporated areas, creating six sewer districts run by the county. That plan, which would have increased sewer fees for people on the new Shelby County system by 75 percent, had been created after the City of Memphis announced it would no longer allow hookups in unincorporated areas to its sewer system.
The county withdrew that plan last week after the City of Memphis committed in November to retain ownership
and maintenance of existing sewer infrastructure in unincorporated parts of the county.
Developing a county-run sewer system could have exacerbated urban sprawl and cost the county millions, said Tom Needham, director of public works for the county.
Needham and Robert Knecht, director of public works for the City of Memphis, presented Thursday to the Shelby County Joint Economic and Community Development Board.
The annual cost to the county of the discontinued plan would have been around $16 million, Needham said.
An “extremely reduced” plan will likely be developed by the county and presented to the land use control board by next summer, Needham said.
“We just have to be sure that we look at the financial feasibility of it from a county standpoint and to be sure it works within the city’s overall plan,” Needham said.
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said in a written statement that density needs to be increased to ensure local government can deliver its services cost-effectively.
“With respect to developments that are already in the pipeline, we will work in good faith with the City of Memphis to deliver sewer service,” Harris said. “With respect to developments that have not ripened yet, we will spread the word of all the development opportunities with preexisting sewer capacity in our county’s great municipalities, including the City of Memphis.”
Knecht said the city had extensive conversations with Harris and his administration about focusing density in urban areas.
The city’s policy of avoiding new hookups in unincorporated areas was implemented after annexation laws changed. In the past, the city would extend sewer systems into the county with plans to later annex that area.
“We don’t think municipal services need to be provided to rural areas,” Knecht said. “It’s no economic benefit to the municipalities. It’s a disadvantage to us.”
Now, the city is dealing with capacity issues in some parts of its sewer systems. At Thursday’s meeting, Knecht told leaders of the suburban municipalities about plans to create sewage storage tanks in the Fletcher Creek basin area, holding wastewater until it can be released overnight when water usage is low.
What the policies mean for development
Of 31 development projects under consideration when the city implemented its policy to avoid hookups outside the city, 24 requests have been approved, five are currently being evaluated and two were denied, Knecht said.
Knecht said Memphis will continue to provide sewer services to all areas currently served, with the exception of Horn Lake, Mississippi. The city announced earlier this year that it would stop treating sewage from Horn Lake in 2023.
Now, if a development in Shelby County wants to be on a municipal sewer system, it will be driven to develop inside one of Shelby County’s municipalities, officials say.
“It obviously helps to sustain the communities across Shelby County,” said John Zeanah, who heads the joint city and county Division of Planning and Development. “It is a smarter development plan.”
Harold Byrd, president of the Shelby County Chamber Alliance, said he had mixed feelings about the county stepping away from its sewer plans.
A good sewer system is a primary factor in new development, Byrd said, but he believes the city and county will work with developers if a significant opportunity comes to an unincorporated area.
Ultimately, he’s optimistic about the future of the cities in Shelby County, he said.
“Each of those cities are great assets for the metro area,” Byrd said. “The one thing we don’t want to do though is have any impediments to future development that is planned, that is orderly, that is not what we’d talk about as sprawl.”
Bartlett Mayor Keith McDonald said he believes it’s the right call to avoid additional sewer infrastructure in unincorporated areas.
“I think sewer is a municipal issue,” he said. “If people want a sewer, they should move to a municipality. If they don’t, they’re responsible individually for whatever kind of treatment facility they have.”
Katherine Burgess covers county government and the suburbs. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.