Senate panel approves bill to require study before municipalities cut sewer service outside city limits

Senator Taylor, sponsor of Senate Bill 11-38, told the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee on April 9 that the bill would prevent municipalities that have operated sewage systems outside their corporate limits for more than 25 years from stopping service unless a study demonstrates the utility lacks capacity, and would allow landowners with preexisting gravity sewer lines on their property to request connection.

The measure matters to residents served by municipal sewer systems beyond city boundaries, committee members said, because it addresses disputes over connection denials and clarifies who may tap lines already located on private property.

Taylor, speaking to the committee, said the bill “does 2 things.” It bars discontinuation of service to existing customers outside corporate limits for systems operated more than 25 years unless a capacity study shows the utility cannot serve them, and it requires utilities to…