Water meters are in, Windstream is out

The Madison County Fiscal Court heard the first reading of an ordinance this week authorizing the collection of county 911 fees through water meter fees.

Ordinance 2025-011 calls for noncommercial water customers in the unincorporated portions of Madison County to pay $3.50 per month. Commercial customers in the same jurisdiction, per the Ordinance, would pay $12.50 per month, while industrial customers would pay $25.00 per month.

An administrative fee to be paid to the water associations and utilities that will now manage the County's 911 fee collection is yet to be determined, but the Ordinance reads the amount is to be "reasonable".

The Ordinance is expected to pass after its second reading at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Fiscal Court on October 28, when Ordinance 07-011, which allows the County to collect 911 assessments from a fee on land lines, will be repealed.

The fee is only a few dollars more for residential structures than was originally planned in an interlocal agreement between the County, Richmond, and Berea which called for a county-wide fee assessment. That agreement was scrapped after Richmond City Commissioners claimed, despite evidence to the contrary, they'd been misled by the County as to the actual costs. An interlocal agreement stating that all three jurisdictions will share the 911 call center still exists.

In the original interlocal agreement about fee collection, residential fees across all three jurisdictions would have been about $32 yearly, payable along with the annual property tax bill. Fees for commercial and industrial structures countywide under the original plan would have varied according to the square footage of the property.

Berea City Administrator Shawn Sandlin told Berea City Council at the last regularly scheduled meeting there, that a work session would be held soon to decide how that municipality will collect its share of the necessary 911 fees.

Also at this week's regularly scheduled Fiscal Court meeting, there was the first reading of Ordinance 2025-012, the Telecommunications Franchise Ordinance. The Ordinance was precipitated by the purchase of telecom provider, Windstream, by Uniti, according to Deputy Judge Executive Jill Williams. She explained that because there is no existing franchise agreement between the County and Windstream, Uniti must now bid for one in order to provide telecom services Countywide.

Williams told the Court that to avoid exclusivity, however, the state Constitution requires the County to solicit bids from other telecom providers before granting Uniti right-of-way. A right-of-way for telecom companies lasts for ten years.

The application fee for all telecom providers is $5,000, and requires bonds, indemnification, and certain levels of insurance.

Non-exclusive bidding by telecom providers will start after the Ordinance passes at its second reading. Judge Executive Reagan Taylor is authorized to accept all bids that comply with the ordinal requirements in order to enter into a franchise agreement with the successful bidders.