THE PROPOSAL FOR ASCENSION PARISH
Our proposal is structured as a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between Ascension Consolidated Utility District #2 (ACUD #2) and Ascension Sewer which offers the Parish the ability to retain ownership and ultimate control of the existing and new sewer system as a public asset - this is not a sale or privatization. As a public utility, the Parish would also retain oversight of performance and rate-making authority.
Ascension Sewer would be responsible for all operating expenses and capital investment, and in the next 90 days we will develop a comprehensive plan that includes the first phase for building the connections to a new water treatment plant located near the Mississippi River in the northwest portion of the Parish at a cost of more than $200 million, providing coverage to nearly 19,000 customers and significantly reducing flows into Bayou Manchac. This means that residents won’t have to front the capital with public funds or vote on a bond to make these required and needed system improvements.
The comprehensive plan will include optimizing the efforts of prior plans, at our own expense, with the intent of providing as much coverage as possible to citizens in a manner that limits future rate increases. In return, Ascension Sewer would receive revenues from system operations over a 30-year timeframe.
The Ascension Parish Council voted unanimously to approve a cooperative endeavor agreement between Ascension Sewer and Ascension Consolidated Utility District #2 on May 16, 2019. Over the next 90 days, the Ascension Sewer team will develop the comprehensive plan which will include optimizing the efforts of prior plans, at our own expense, with the intent of providing as much coverage as possible to citizens in a manner that limits future rate increases. Within that time frame, we will come back to the Council with a fully developed plan that includes a detailed cost and rate structure, as well as wastewater treatment plant and system construction plans.
