UPDATED: Head of sewer commission resigns after criticism of proposed rate hike

Chris Cooper, the sewer commission chairman who came under fire for a proposed rate increase affecting Patterson and Berwick, resigned that post Thursday.

“I cannot understand how any of us can put up with this ridicule and condemnation while giving our time as a volunteer to the commission,” Cooper said in his resignation letter to the Wards 5 & 8 Joint Sewer Commission. “We are paid $60 a month.”

The criticism of Cooper began after the commission sent “to whom it may concern” letters to the municipal governments in Berwick and Patterson in August. The letters announced a rate increase of $1.50 per 1,000 gallons of sewage.

At the Sept. 2 Patterson City Council meeting, Cooper cited aging and neglected infrastructure and the need to spend $70,000 for pump rental during Hurricane Francine.

His resignation letter said he and “a very capable and knowledgeable board decided to implement a rate increase to help with the debt, much needed repairs, and updates to the facilities and equipment which suffer from many, many years of extreme neglect and total lack of maintenance to just name a few.”

Officials in both Berwick, where the issue came up at the Sept. 9 Town Council meeting, and Patterson said they would be forced to pass the increase along to consumers, and objected to the lack of data to support the rate hike and to a lack of public input.

In his resignation letter, Cooper acknowledged that “we were met with a great amount of pushback, which was to be expected. What is very disappointing is that no one requested that we meet face to face and try to come to some kind of agreement that could be brought to the councils and board to help all the area.

“Instead, I was condemned, ridiculed and treated as a career criminal. Then as this reaches social media, most very person who has never attended a meeting and has no idea what this commission is up against want to accuse us of misappropriation and stealing.”

Cooper closed his letter by wishing the board and its employees luck.

At a special meeting Sept. 9, the Patterson City Council introduced an ordinance raising both residential and commercial sewer service rates and tying the rates to the Consumer Price Index-Urban. The move cleared the way for a public hearing and passage vote Oct. 7.

The commission’s rate hike also affects customers from Ricohoc to Berwick who do not life in either Berwick or Patterson.

The resignation letter was sent by Wards 5 & 8 Commissioner Tim Kyle to Patterson Mayor Pro Tem Lee Condolle, who sent it to Patterson City Clerk Midge Bourgeois. Patterson Mayor Rodney Grogan provided a copy to the Review.

Howard J. Castay did the reporting for this story.