Torrington council approves intermunicipal sewer agreement with Litchfield after heated public comments

Torrington ' The City Council, acting as the Water Pollution Control Authority, voted Monday to authorize Mayor Eleanor Carbone to execute an intermunicipal agreement with the town of Litchfield that formalizes Litchfield's purchase of capacity and its share of capital and operations costs at Torrington's wastewater treatment facilities.

The council approved the IMA after discussion about how outside users will be charged and repeated public objections that the agreement had not been broadly aired. Council members said the contract protects Torrington ratepayers by ensuring Litchfield will not pay less than Torrington residents for operations and maintenance and by billing shared capital costs on an annual, proportional basis.

Why it matters: The IMA governs how a neighboring town pays to use Torrington's treatment plant and how capital and O&M costs are allocated. Public speakers argued the city must protect long-term asset value and ensure outside users pay a fair share; council members said the agreement contains specific protections and reopener clauses for future review.

What the council approved: The IMA requires Litchfield to pay a proportionate share of debt service tied to agreed shared facilities and an operations-and-maintenance (O&M) charge based on measured flow. City staff told the council the IMA sets a minimum billing threshold so that "in no event shall the proportionate share be less than the rate set by the joint WPCA for operation and maintenance costs for 65,000 gallons," language included to protect resident rates, according to city staff.

Public reaction: Multiple members of the public urged the council to delay approval and asked for fuller public review. Michael Banziruk, who identified himself as a Torrington resident and property owner, told the council: "This has not been brought up to the public for many a year for discussion... This IMA is disadvantageous to We, the People of Torrington," and asked that the matter be tabled for broader scrutiny.

City staff and council response: City staff and the mayor said the agreement updates a long-standing relationship. City staff explained Litchfield's allocation under the IMA would be reduced from a previously reserved 150,000 gallons to 40,000 gallons of capacity and that opening that capacity could allow Torrington to allocate more capacity for local development. Staff also described an annual amortization schedule for capital costs and reiterated that the city retains ownership and operational control of its facilities.

Next steps and constraints: Council members said legal and operational details remain subject to implementation steps: annual billing, a five-year reopener clause in the agreement, and the requirement that capital charges be reflected in annual debt-service schedules. The council approved the motion to authorize execution of the IMA; the action carried on a voice vote.

Ending note: The vote concludes a negotiation that city officials said dates back to prior agreements; opponents urged further public review and asked for clearer historical accounting of past capital investments and how outside users are charged relative to Torrington ratepayers.