Irondale, Alabama mayor wants to keep Jefferson County from charging residents not using sewer system

Irondale Mayor Tommy Joe Alexander said Friday that he is proposing an ordinance that would fine entities such as Jefferson County for charging residents non-user fees.

Alexander announced during a meeting of the Jefferson County Mayors Association that he will present next Tuesday to his City Council an ordinance that would fine entities double the amount of any non-user fee they charged to Irondale residents. The council could vote on the ordinance March 3.

Earlier this week, a report by special masters in a federal lawsuit over the county's sewer debt recommended that residents and businesses not on the county's sewer system be assessed "clean water" fees of up to $30 a month.

"I'm getting a lot of calls from my citizens; they're against this non-user fee," Alexander said. "I can understand."

Alexander said one-third of Irondale's approximately 6,000 households are tied into the Jefferson County sewer system. The other two-thirds use septic tanks or private sewer systems. Many of the homes that are not on the sewer system don't have access to it, Alexander said.

Irondale officials and residents in the past have requested financial assistance from Jefferson County to run sewer lines to several of the neighborhoods in the city. Those requests were unmet, Alexander said, because the county had no money to help construct the lines.

Alexander said he is unhappy that now the county could be penalizing those residents for its inaction. He said he is approaching mayors of other cities to consider a similar ordinance.

The Jefferson County Commission has not acted on any of the recommendations, including the non-user fee, from the special masters report. Staff writer Val Walton contributed to this report. adebro@bhamnews.com