NASHVILLE Tenn. Restaurateurs here are hoping to change a 2006 law that requires new businesses to pay fees based on their projected water usage to help fund sewer and water improvements. Restaurants are pushing for an across-the-board fee for all business and residential customers.
While all new businesses are hit with the tax, restaurants tend to pay the most because of their high water usage. Some new restaurants have paid more than $20,000 when opening a location, even when renovating old buildings already hooked up to the city’s water supply, according to a report in The Tennessean.
Area restaurateurs were set to meet last week with the Nashville Metro Council to ask that alternative fee structure be considered. A member of the Nashville Metro Council, Emily Evans said if the business connection fees were cut in half, the result would be a 2-percent rate increase for all customers.
