NORTHAMPTON – The city’s water supply and infrastructure is to remain in public hands after the City Council voted 8-1 Thursday to prohibit its privatization.
The ordinance was brought to the council floor by Ward 3 City Councilor Ryan R. O’Donnell, vice president of the council, with backing from the mayor. It comes amid a national discussion about water privatization. The council is scheduled to take a final vote May 19.
No privatization of the city’s water supply system is under consideration, though O’Donnell said the ordinance is important and has a simple goal of ensuring “democratic accountability” over the city’s water supply.
“It would make it unlawful for future city councilors and mayors to privatize our water system,” he said of the legislation. “In some cases, this has been done out of desperation throughout the country.”
At-large City Councilor Jesse M. Adams cast the dissenting vote, arguing that by enacting the law, the city could be passing up on future opportunities. He also vehemently questioned the legality of the ordinance, saying it is inconsistent with other legislation City Solicitor Alan Seewald has reviewed and approved for council action.
“I find it reactive and shortsighted,” Adams said, arguing that the legislation allows the council to put a limitation on the executive branch.
“It’s telling the executive branch what it can and can’t do and it’s inconsistent with all the other city solicitors’ decisions,” he said.
Mayor David Narkewicz disagreed with that assessment in an interview at the end of the meeting, stating that privatization of the city’s water supply is a larger policy issue that both the council and mayor decide on, not just his office.
“If I thought it was usurping executive branch authority, I certainly would not support it,” Narkewicz said.
Citing research and studies, O’Donnell provided councilors with a list of communities around the country where privatization of water supplies have resulted in major problems for the public they serve, including Gloucester, Lynn and Plymouth.
In 2010, Gloucester enacted a law similar to the one Northampton’s councilors voted on Thursday, along with new charter language that requires voters’ approval before the city could relinquish its water supply system to the private sector.
In a statement earlier this week, O’Donnell noted that decisions by local governments to privatize this resource are often driven by strained budgets and mounting maintenance needs. Cost-cutting rather than the safety and well-being of communities become the priorities, he argued.
“The dream never pans out the way it is supposed to,” he told councilors Thursday. “There’s nothing magical about the cost savings of privatization.”
Several councilors voiced their support for the ordinance, including Ward 7 Councilor Alisa F. Klein who said access to water is a “human right” and a public health issue.
“It’s our responsibility as a city and as a community that the quality of water is safe and healthy,” she said.
Ward 2 City Councilor Dennis P. Bidwell described the ordinance as “very forward-looking.”
“I’m impressed with Councilor O’Donnell bringing this up,” he said.
The issue brought at least one city resident to the council to listen to the discussion. Carolyn Toll Oppenheim, said she supported the ordinance, in part, because the financial aspects of public water supply systems must remain transparent to ratepayers.
“If you don’t have transparency, you don’t know how they’re spending the money,” she said.
Staff Writer Dan Crowley can be reached at dcrowley@gazettenet.com.