Utility board backs percentage-based wastewater capacity reservation, forwards Resolution 2026-004 to BOMA

The Thompson's Station Utility Board on Feb. 17 voted to recommend Resolution 2026-004 to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, a measure that would replace a fixed 150,000-gallons-per-day allocation for economic development with a percentage-based model tied to active treatment capacity.

Micah, a town staff member who introduced the resolution, said the proposed framework would reserve 50% of active capacity for nonresidential uses and an additional 2.5% for emergency or contingency needs. "This percentage approach allows reservation capacity to scale with future wastewater treatment plant phases while maintaining a small operational and public safety reserve," Micah said.

Board members discussed how on-site plants and small local systems would be treated under the new approach. A committee member asked whether facilities such as Littleberry (a 30,000-gpd on-site plant) are counted as active or inactive capacity and whether catastrophic failures would be covered. Brandon, a town staff member, said Littleberry is connected and can be routed to Bridgeport in an emergency but noted that decisions to connect other on-site systems to the regional plant would require capital improvement projects and board direction.

A motion to make a favorable recommendation to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen was made, seconded and approved by members present.

The board's recommendation does not itself change allocations; it forwards Resolution 2026-004 for consideration by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, which must act separately. The utility board asked staff to provide additional clarifications on when certain on-site systems would be connected and how the percentage model would be applied as the plant moves through future expansion phases.