Town of Abington v. City of Brockton

Sucessfully negotiated a new Intermunicipal Agreement for the Town of Abington.

Issue

Can a community that sends its sewage to or through another community challenge the host community’s pricing?

Challenge

Host communities often possess inherent bargaining leverage over sending communities that rely upon the host for essential sewage transport and (in some cases) treatment.

Outcome

Negotiation of a new Intermunicipal Agreement (IMA) that resulted in numerous benefits to the Town of Abington, including savings of approximately $200,000 per year in the rate calculation, a simple and transparent billing structure, an additional 500,000 GPD in sewage transport capacity, and a relinquishment by Brockton of substantial unbilled interest charges for sewer plant upgrades under the predecessor billing formula.