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Council signals plan to rescind $81 minimum sewer fee, promise refunds and rollback
Summary
After widespread resident complaints and staff admission of billing errors, the Newport City Council signaled unanimous support to rescind a recently adopted ordinance that added an $81 minimum sewer charge and to restore the prior rate structure while staff develops a fairer long-term plan.
The Newport City Council, meeting in workshop session, said it will move to rescind an ordinance that added an $81 minimum sewer charge after residents reported steep, unexpected bills and staff acknowledged implementation errors. Chair opened the meeting saying the council recognized the policy’s intent to shift costs toward non‑owner, seasonal properties but conceded the rollout had "severe impacts on your households."
Councilor Romilly apologized directly to residents and characterized the roll‑out as a mistake, saying, "This was a big, steaming, colossal, hot turd of an error." Several council members expressed support for an expedited fix. City Manager Kennedy told the workshop staff would recommend placing an emergency first reading on the docket as early as the following Monday or Tuesday and a second reading at the next regular meeting, with the intent to reverse the ordinance promptly and credit customers as needed.
Staff recommended reverting to the prior flat usage structure as the most practical near‑term remedy. Director Schultz told the council that, pending formal rescission, staff aims to reconcile payments and issue credits on the coming September bill so residents who already paid the minimum fee will be credited. "Any decisions that are made about changes to ordinance, if there are rebates owed to customers, those rebates will be given," he said.
The council framed the rollback as an interim step while staff and outside consultants develop a data‑driven replacement rate. Officials emphasized the need to avoid further billing delays and to ensure the September billing run reconciles action taken by the council. City staff also said interest charges that posted incorrectly will be waived and that shutoff enforcement has been suspended while the issue is corrected.
Next steps outlined by staff include: posting an emergency first reading of the rescission, processing corrected bills (the staff indicated the September bill would reconcile policy changes and credits), and returning in approximately three to 12 months with consultant‑driven options for a more equitable, multi‑class rate structure that accounts for stormwater and seasonal occupancy.
The workshop did not include a formal vote; councilors expressed clear support for rescission and directed staff to prepare emergency docket items and customer reconciliations. The council urged residents to stay engaged in the subsequent public outreach on a long‑term rate framework.
