With a technical glitch putting the proposed Shreveport dog park on a short leash for now, perhaps more attention will be focused on some decidedly unglamorous but essential city issues – water, sewer and garbage.
Faced with $700 million in water and sewer needs that have drawn the baleful stare of federal regulators, the administration is scouring the system for leaking revenues. Rate increases seem an eventuality to support what is supposed to be self-supporting. But first, the Glover administration wants to tighten some valves on current operations that could save the city money. Staffers Monday were still working up the numbers for today’s City Council Infrastructure Committee, but three main areas will be discussed: water thefts, authorized free service and renter scofflaws.
No estimates were available yet on what thefts cost the city, but Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Brian Crawford said the problem is widespread. Major offenders are those who have their water turned off for nonpayment but who turn their meters back on. Another serious issue are those “straight-lining’’ water from a city line to their home or business without benefit of a meter.
Oddly, there are no real penalties for such thefts. Customers merely have to make good on back payments if they’re caught and pay for a new hook up. Those who straight-line a connection have to pay a $500 fee.
The administration also wants to revisit a 2008 ordinance that doesn’t require payments from those who use 3,000 gallons a month or less. In a city with a high number residents below the poverty line, this is one fee break that is no respecter of income. Crawford said a map shows beneficiaries are scattered all over the city, from upper-income residents on Ellerbe Road to those of more modest means in the Martin Luther King Jr. area. Consider that empty-nesters, regardless of tax bracket, aren’t washing as many loads of clothes as they once did.
A third water issue is an administration desire to shift the name on water accounts from renters to landlords. A complaint that popped up during habitability code discussions was that landlords were often out of the loop on whether bills were being paid or water was in service because their tenants were charged with getting that utility turned on. Tenants sometimes skip out on unpaid bills, said Crawford. Or if the service was switched off for nonpayment, a roommate might open a new account for the same address and the clock starts running again on cut-off notices.
On Thursday, the City Council will switch gears and jump into solid waste issues. The administrations wants to set the stage for the enforcement of ordinances that limit what items residents can set out for collection. Cast-off appliances and other bulky items often get picked up by the city even  though sanitation workers don't have to collect them. Doing so increases operation costs. The solutions include educating the public about waste collection rules -- and for the city to stop enabling this behavior.
But don’t be surprised if a couple of council members renew talk about privatizing some solid waste collection services. Recall that Bossier City got out of that service years ago and hired -- the city of Shreveport.
How soon council and administration put action to these discussions is anyone’s guess. But eventually citizens will find some of their basic city services are a little more expensive and a little less convenient.