The town of Camp Hill has received a reprieve from the court, allowing it to keep its water flowing until its August court hearing in a fight with the City of Dadeville.
The fight, which the mayor and City leadership described in a statement, is dire.
"We are once again fighting for our right to live — free from the tyranny of those who would love to see us disappear, reduced to a mere footnote in the history of Alabama," they stated.
The filing for relief from the court explained, "Camp Hill has approximately three hundred (300) customers, and approximately twelve hundred (1,200) people reside in Camp Hill. Allowing Dadeville to disconnect water service would endanger the citizens of Camp Hill by increasing the risk of fire, depriving them of water for daily use, and creating a public health hazard."
According to Courthouse News, "Alabama Circuit Court Judge William Whorton indicated Wednesday he would issue a temporary restraining order against Dadeville, allowing water service in Camp Hill to continue uninterrupted while the parties negotiate or proceed toward a trial date in August.”
"I'm not going to let the citizens of Camp Hill not have water," Whorton said, addressing the parties. "Y'all have a big problem. I would encourage you all to sit down together and leave the animosity I feel in the room right now out the door and figure it out."
The filing asking for an injunction made by the town of Camp Hill explained, "The City of Dadeville has overcharged the Plaintiff, the Town of Camp Hill, for more than five (5) years. This overbilling is evident when comparing the payments made by Dadeville to Alexander City, which supplies water service to Dadeville. Alexander City uses two (2) meters to measure Dadeville's water usage. Dadeville, in turn, uses one (1) meter to measure the water provided to Camp Hill. The last three (3) billing statements from Dadeville have included penalties totaling $173,889.00. This is impossible, as Camp Hill has not used the millions of gallons of water that Dadeville alleges. Dadeville has repeatedly claimed the high bills are due to leaks in Camp Hill's system. While every water system experiences some leakage, Camp Hill has not had major leaks in the past three (3) months and has reported any known leaks in a timely manner."
Courthouse News reported that Mayor Messiah Williams-Cole testified during the hearing, "In response to the high bills, the mayor said he undertook an audit in March and discovered Dadeville had raised rates on Camp Hill inequitably since their contract was initially signed in 2012, despite language indicating the rate would only be adjusted based on the city of Dadeville's costs."
Dadeville purchases its own water from nearby Alexander City at a rate of $1.58 per 1,000 gallons, a rate Williams-Cole said hasn't changed since 2001. According to the contract, Dadeville would then supply water to Camp Hill at a rate of $2.35 per 1,000 gallons. But in spite of the contract, the town's price has been increased at least five times since 2014. Today, Camp Hill pays $6.40 per 1,000 gallons.
Read the full letter and evidence presented by Camp Hill:
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