Bartlett approves 25-year interjurisdictional sewer agreement with Lakeland

Bartlett’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Tuesday approved Resolution 12-25 authorizing the mayor to sign an interjurisdictional agreement with the City of Lakeland to redirect sewer flow from parts of the Davies area to Lakeland’s wastewater treatment plant.

The resolution matters because it will shift treatment for about 500 parcels now routed through Memphis toward Lakeland’s system, create a 25-year contract through 2050 with an option to renew, and requires physical work including taking one pump station offline and installing a new gravity sewer that will cross four private properties.

“Basically this is a resolution to approve the Lakeland IJA. That's the inter jurisdictional agreement between the city of Bartlett and the city of Lakeland for sewer treatments,” said John Horn, assistant director of engineering, describing the agreement and the infrastructure changes it requires. Horn said the southern portion of the drainage area — including the southern portion of Plantation Estates and the Preserve at Bartlett apartment complex — will continue to drain south through Lakeland. Horn added the upper portion of Davies could be reconfigured to gravity flow, removing dependency on the existing pump station.

The agreement requires Bartlett to install and maintain flow meters so Lakeland can bill Bartlett for treatment; Bartlett will then bill its customers. Horn said Bartlett’s share of costs will be proportional to its flow into Lakeland’s system and that residents “won't be charged more than Lakeland's residents.”

Board members raised questions about whether moving flow off Memphis would change Bartlett’s treatment allocations with Memphis and about future rates. Alderman Autumn McQueen asked, “Do you know what that's gonna be?” when asking whether Lakeland’s rates will be higher than what Memphis charged. Horn said he did not have a firm rate comparison and noted Lakeland reevaluates sewer rates frequently. He added that the area involved is not in the Fletcher Creek basin and that there is limited development potential in the affected area.

The resolution also anticipates sewer acquisition work for several parcels where new gravity sewer will run; Horn said the affected properties have been contacted but negotiations were not complete. The IJA includes provisions for metering flow and proportional billing but does not specify final customer rates in the materials reviewed at the meeting.

The board voted to adopt Resolution 12-25; the clerk announced, “Resolution twelve-twenty 5 passes.” The meeting record did not include a roll-call tally or named mover and seconder in the transcript provided.

What happens next: engineering staff will proceed with right-of-way discussions and meter installation planning; details about final customer billing rates were not available at the meeting.