Shall organize fee chaos – Northern Lights

Nordlys revealed earlier this fall a secret memo that gave Leroy Group favorable discounts on municipal services. The agreement was signed in December 2006, the same day as the group announced that they would establish a large slaughter plant on the island. The matter was discussed in a closed Presidency meeting, and both the minutes and a note about the framework was kept secret by Skjervøy until August this year.

If the salmon group had paid drainage fee for the same rates that apply to other large water consumers, among others groundfish now Skjervoy fish and shellfish, that would give the municipality annual additional income of over half a million. While Leroy paid a fixed amount, has three other fishing enterprises paid drainage fee for 30 percent of water consumption.

ALSO READ: – The agreement follows the regulations

The Northern Lights have several weeks unsuccessfully requested access to the municipal fee-Regulation. None of the documents administration has identified contain provisions which could explain the difference in treatment. Wednesday of this week had CTO Kjell Ove Lehne, on behalf of the mayor, responding to two interpellations about the charges.

Have not valid regulations

– In 2004 it became a separate layer regulation. It was never duplicated. That means it was never posted on Lovdata or taken into Norwegian Gazette. Regulations must therefore be regarded as invalid. Assuming that one has dealt with cases under these regulations, which must then be assumed to be invalid, said Lehne, who later confirmed that Regulations 2004 nor had been treated by the council.

– When it comes the other agreements which goes on general 30 percent, so I have not seen such an agreement stating that you give 30 percent, so I can not comment on these agreements, said Lehne

According to Law the council establish regulations water and sewage. Wednesday explained CTO that agreement presidency signed with Leroy in 2006 may have been valid because the alderman in 2010 was authorized to decide matters of water and sewage charges.

It got Vidar Langeland (FRP) to ask Lehne to clarify how a delegation regulations adopted in 2010 could be used as a legal basis for a decision which was made four years earlier.

Do not know where regulations are

– Where I’ll find the rules that applied in 2006 I do not know, but we should well be able to find it, answered technical manager.

Vidar Langeland stressed that the most important thing now is to put in place a legal and not least tidy scale.

– It is possible that 75,000 is not so far away it lerøy should pay. It may even be in excess. What really is the problem is the way the municipality has hand commented this, not least secrecy, said Langeland.

The state guidelines for water and sewerage charges is that the cost of water and sewage must be shared equally on users based in costs. The system should be self-financing.

Bjørn Arne Karlsen, who is chief engineer at County Department of Environmental, has previously stated to Nordlys that Leroy Agreement may be problematic.

– If it is correct that two comparable businesses have different method of calculating fees is this mildly on the edge, said Karlsen.

The municipal council has now agreed that a new rules and regulations shall be prepared and submitted to the council by the end of next year.