A public hearing on Wednesday at the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) in Hartford could help shed light on who pays the sewer bill if Hartford goes bankrupt.
Wethersfield mayor Paul Montinieri, plus his counterparts in East Hartford, Newington, Windsor, Bloomfield, Rocky Hill, and West Hartford, are facing a potential payment should Hartford fail.
"Our obligations as mayors, and obviously mine with Wethersfield, is to protect the interests of our taxpayers. And frankly our municipal budgets are so tight that we just don't have the capacity to absorb that kind of hit," the mayor said.
At issue are sewers, specifically a potential reserve fund that could require those towns to pay Hartford's $11 million sewer charge if the city can't.
According to MDC Chairman Bill DiBella: "If there's a failure by any of the towns, it's the responsibility that falls to each of the other towns."
Recent discussions between the MDC and the towns hint at the possibility of a solution, although all sides won't say exactly what that is just yet.
"I think MDC is arguably making a presentation about options to solve a crisis that exists in our capital city. But at the same time I think they are being very clear that that's not the only option," Montinieri said.
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One option that could be on the table is financial help from the state.
Another is changing the MDC charter. But, both of those are long term solutions.
