Nashville water bills won’t get ice storm discounts after Metro Council rejects idea

Nashvillians will not get a credit to help pay for increased water bills after Winter Storm Fern.

During the storm, residents were encouraged to drip their faucets to prevent freezing. In response, the mayor’s office put forth a proposal for Metro Water Services customers to receive a one-time credit, ranging from $7.63 to $25.51.

The program would have cost Metro Water around $6 million, some of which reflects the additional revenue gathered during the storm.

“The credits are essentially giving back that unexpected revenue,” said Metro Finance Assistant Director Mary Jo Wiggins at a council meeting on March 17. “But there’s a cost for the excess water that flowed through all the pipes.”

Ultimately, the proposal was rejected by the council on Tuesday. While there was no discussion this week, it had been debated at previous meetings. Some councilmembers had expressed concern over the blanket approach and the total cost to Metro Water for a “small amount of relief.”

“This is a very small amount of relief to people that need it and it’s a very small number of people that have been impacted,” Councilmember Courtney Johnston said last month. “This is not a smart use of our utility dollars.”

Johnston cited the city’s other steps toward storm relief — like the Winter Storm Recovery Fund and Emergency Winter Housing Assistance Program, administered through the Metro Action Commission — as more effective approaches.

Following the council’s rejection, the mayor issued a statement calling the decision “disappointing.”

“At a time when people are hurting from higher prices everywhere coupled with winter storm damage costs, this council couldn’t see fit to return $26 to every Nashvillian,” O’Connell said. “Metro has tightened its belt multiple times, and Water assured us they could, too. This is an incredibly disappointing outcome after a devastating weather event.”