Grigsby granted right to continue the fight to reduce sewer bills

All in favor of a 1,397 percent increase to your monthly sewer bill in Jefferson County say yes!  Well, that’s exactly what is about to happen, unless, those that oppose stand up to fight for their rights.  The county has been besieged by corruption and greed.  This corrupt debt has been saddled on the backs on the poorest residents of the county, most of whom live in districts 1 and 2. But the battle continues with a ruling issued by U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Blackburn on Tuesday, September 30, 2014.
This major milestone was achieved in favor of the ratepayers when Judge Blackburn allowed the ratepayers the right to be heard in court. If the ratepayers and those who oppose all the increases don’t join themselves together and fight, then they have no one to blame but themselves!
“We, the ratepayers have a shining knight in Attorney Calvin Grigsby.  He came riding in town to save us, when no attorney in Jefferson County would file a lawsuit on behalf of the sewer ratepayers”, said Andrew Bennett, Assistant Tax Assessor.    “I can’t count the numerous trips Mr. Grigsby has made from California to help us.  And all his travel and other expenses have been paid from his own pocket. We’ve got to rally together in support of this man who is fighting for us. All this corruption doesn’t affect his bill, it affects ours. And guess what, when he comes to town for us, planes don’t fly free.  We need to contribute to Mr. Grigsby’s expenses.  He’s doing this for us and we need to support him”, continued Andrew Bennett.
Since 1997 Jefferson County Ratepayers have already seen more than a 300 percent increase to their sewer bills. A monthly sewer bill that was $50.32 in November of 2012 is projected to rise over the years to at least $698.50 each month or more by October of 2053. The debt that started at $1.6 billion will increase to over $14 billion. Attorneys for the county and investment companies, like JP Morgan, have been paid more than $100 million and the sewer ratepayers are paying them to fight against themselves.
“I can remember the days when sewer usage was just a small portion of my monthly expenses”, add Bennett. “But those days are long gone! But with this latest ruling from Judge Blackburn, we stand a chance.  Every leader whether elected or not should be at the forefront of this lawsuit. Districts 1 and 2 which are primarily in the city limits of Birmingham will be largely affected by this rate increase. Therefore, I am challenging Mayor Bell and the entire Birmingham City Council to join in on this fight!! We need the help of all leaders within Jefferson County, including our state senators and state representatives, mayors and council members and the churches. Don’t wait until the people are in jeopardy of losing their homes because that can’t pay their sewer bill to get involved.  Every $5 or $500 donation will help”, said Bennett. He went on to say, “Over 40 attorneys were present for the county and the big banks to only ‘1’ Mr. Grigsby fighting for sewer ratepayers.”
Calvin Grigsby said, “The plaintiffs of the Bennett lawsuit and I are thrilled by the District Court’s decision to hear our appeal on the merits.  All this debt is based on illegal gain and for the poorest of ratepayers to bear the burden of repayment is unthinkable. The county has poured millions of public money into attorney fees to fight against the ratepayers. So in essence, the ratepayers are paying for their own demise. They just added three new attorneys so it is truly a ‘David and Goliath’ battle.”
“By the end of the county’s plan in 2053 a monthly sewer bill will easily be over $600. We can stop that but it has got to happen now. The county officials are not telling the whole story. But we need folks to know what is going on. So I invite everybody out to the Watermark Place in Bessemer on Nov 6th where I’ll show them how all this debt accumulated and what we can do about it”, continued Grigsby.
The ratepayers and their counsel will continue the fight to roll back sewer rates to levels pre-existing the corruption and illegality that caused the implementation of the $14 billion in future rate increases. They claim they are indeed the revenue source for payment of the new sewer warrants and have a huge vested interested in this case.  A defense fund has been set up with Jefferson Credit Union as, Sewer Defense Fund. The committee has confirmed an informative evening at The Watermark Place on November 6th, at 5:30 p.m., where donations will be accepted.