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The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote Tuesday (11/27/07) on an ordinance that requires all residential and commercial properties built prior to 1993 to be retrofitted with low flow plumbing fixtures prior to their sale. If this Ordinance passes it will be unlawful for sellers to sell their property until they make the plumbing updates or for buyers to purchase properties without the updates. There are civil and criminal penalties for non-compliance.
While I am all for water conservation and believe that retrofitting homes is a good idea in most cases, this ordinance mandates it for all home sellers, regardless of whether or not they can realistically afford to make the updates. Given the number of homes in DeKalb county that have already gone into foreclosure and the even larger number of financially fragile homeowners who already cannot sell their homes for what they owe on them and are in danger of being pushed into foreclosure, this new ordinance seems extraordinarily reckless to me, especially considering the small amount of water savings that could be produced over the next few months. (The ordinance doesn't say that all homes in the county have to immediately be retrofitted, it only forces those people trying to sell their homes to retrofit them -- how much water could that possibly save when compared against the cost those homeowners will face to replace all the toilets, showerheads and faucets in their home?).
If you live in DeKalb county, please contact each member of the DeKalb county commission immediately (they are voting on Tuesday, 11/27/07) to voice your opinion about this proposed ordinance. Contact info for the commissioners is included below along with a revised version of the letter that I sent.
Quote:
As a DeKalb county resident and small business person, I am asking you to defer the vote on the proposed DeKalb County Resale Property Plumbing Retrofit Ordinance.
I understand the necessity of water conservation. However, the proposed ordinance is ineffective to meet the immediate needs of the drought and puts the entire burden on property owners trying to sell their homes in a challenging market. It also puts an undue burden on low income and elderly homeowners, many of whom are already in a precarious financial situation and can ill afford to make costly updates to their homes (especially since it's an investment they will likely not recoup in the sale price of their home). These at-risk homeowners may be forced into foreclosure at an even faster rate than the county is already experiencing.
Considering the serious unintended consequences this ordinance may have on our county's most financially fragile homeowners, and the small amount of water savings that it could produce over the course of the next few months, I encourage you to delay the vote on this ordinance until a more effective and socially just solution is found.
CEO
Vernon Jones - ceo@co.dekalb.ga.us
404.371.2115
404.371.4933 fax (? - no answer)
Just so that everyone understands. This proposal means that, as of January 1, 2008, you cannot sell or buy a home (or commercial property) in DeKalb county unless every single plumbing fixture (toilets, shower heads, and faucets) in the property has been converted to a water-conserving fixture. To ensure that the updates are made, you cannot apply for water service or have the water turned on until you provide certification (signed under penalty of perjury) by a licensed plumber or home inspector that every plumbing fixture is water-conserving.
While this is will only be an inconvenience and minor financial hardship to some people, there are many people in DeKalb county who will not be able to afford to make these updates. Since they can't sell unless they make the updates, it is very likely that it will force even more homeowners into foreclosure (more than the epic numbers we already have because of mortgage fraud and the economic downturn).
Please, please, please, if you live in DeKalb county or are moving to DeKalb county, please contact the county commission before they vote on Tuesday 11/27 to register your opinion about this proposed ordinance!
We are facing one of the worst droughts I've seen in all the years I have lived here. The AJC says that Lake Lanier could run out of drinking water for us in four months. And you are arguing against water conservation. How much worse does it have to get for you?
Requiring homes who use old-fashioned plumbing to update their fixtures is a no brainer. The state already requires this to be done in all homes built after 1993.
It's costs several hundred bucks, but the cost becomes part of the real estate transaction when you sell your house - kinda like deciding who pays for the termite inspection.
And its super cost-effective. They say that the investment recoups itself in about three years.
Ensuring clean drinking water for DeKalb homeowners. Cheaper water bills. It seems like a common sense solution to me.
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
11,334 posts, read 26,115,729 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ConcernedDeKalbHomeowner
I completely disagree, IntownHomes.
We are facing one of the worst droughts I've seen in all the years I have lived here. The AJC says that Lake Lanier could run out of drinking water for us in four months. And you are arguing against water conservation. How much worse does it have to get for you?
While conservation in homes certainly helps, I'm under the general impression that household use of water is a fairly small percentage of the total water flow and total water usage in Atlanta, and that major changes in statewide water consumption (and Lanier lake levels) will not occur until the use from power plants downstream is addressed and lowered significantly.
We are facing one of the worst droughts I've seen in all the years I have lived here. The AJC says that Lake Lanier could run out of drinking water for us in four months. And you are arguing against water conservation. How much worse does it have to get for you?
Requiring homes who use old-fashioned plumbing to update their fixtures is a no brainer. The state already requires this to be done in all homes built after 1993.
I'm not disputing that retrofitting homes is a good idea. I'm saying that the method by which the proposed ordinance would mandate this is ill-conceived.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ConcernedDeKalbHomeowner
It's costs several hundred bucks, but the cost becomes part of the real estate transaction when you sell your house - kinda like deciding who pays for the termite inspection.
I seriously disagree with you on this one. People who are selling in this market simply are not going to recoup the price of the improvements. This is literally money down the drain for anyone who is currently selling or planning to sell any time soon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ConcernedDeKalbHomeowner
And its super cost-effective. They say that the investment recoups itself in about three years.
Ensuring clean drinking water for DeKalb homeowners. Cheaper water bills. It seems like a common sense solution to me.
Again, you are completely missing the point.
Anyone who CAN AFFORD to retrofit their plumbing would certainly be well advised to do so. For them (especially the ones planning to stay in their homes for several years) they can expect to recoup the expense over time with lower water bills.
However, many of the people currently trying to sell their homes in DeKalb county are doing so because the CANNOT afford to keep them. Sellers have been making price cuts for months and many newer homeowners are already faced with trying to sell homes for less than they owe on them. Foreclosures are at a historic pace and many of DeKalb's elderly and low-income homeowners will not be able to afford to change out their plumbing fixtures (which will cost far more than "several hundred bucks" for most homes). Low flow toilets by themselves can cost several hundred dollars just to buy the toilet, plumbers then add hundreds more to install them, and that's just for one toilet. This ordinance requires not only every toilet to be updated, but every showerhead, and every faucet in the house. For homes with more than 1 bathroom, the price will easily be over $1,000 to bring a home into compliance.
As I see it, there are 3 HUGE problems with this ordinance:
1. It will quite simply force more homeowners into foreclosure. They can't sell unless they make the improvements and they can't afford to make the improvements so they will have to walk away from their mortgage and allow the bank to foreclose.
Foreclosure is bad for the entire community. It leaves derelict homes open for neglect and crime and it lowers the property values for all homes in the surrounding area. We cannot, as a county, afford to quicken the pace of foreclosures in our community.
2. A large proportion of older homes are owned by older people and those with lower incomes. Because of this, these groups who can least afford it will be disproportionately affected by this ordinance.
3. Because of the method of implementation (only homes for sale have to comply) not enough homes will be brought into compliance during this historic drought which is what the ordinance is supposed to address! It is a tiny fraction of homes in the county that will be for sale during the next 6 months. It could take decades to bring all homes into compliance using this ordinance as a guide.
My position is that, if DeKalb county wants to make true advances in getting older homes retrofitted, they need to come up with a plan that will accomplish this task more quickly and will encourage those people who actually can afford to make the updates to do so. This ordinance will not do that. There is no incentive for anyone not planning to sell their home to make the updates during this period of drought.
A limited-time rebate program (like Cobb county just implemented) would give homeowners an incentive to make the improvements and would encourage those people who either can afford to make the improvements or can almost afford to make the improvements to do so. At the same time, it would allow those low income homeowners and those in financial crisis not to make the improvements.
Personally, I would not be even slightly opposed to a water rate increase. I think there should be a "Drought Level 3 or 4 Surcharge" to serve as a disincentive for waterhogs during periods of drought. Water is our most vital natural resource. But this proposed ordinance will not help significantly during the drought and will cause undue financial burden on the poorest members of our community, forcing even greater numbers of them into foreclosure.
As an update, the commission decided to defer action on the ordinance for 2 weeks. They have*agreed to conduct a public hearing on the proposal on Wednesday, December 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the Maloof Auditorium at 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur.* The proposal is scheduled for a vote at the next regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners on December 11.
I agree that low-flow fixtures and toilets are an important upgrade that should be made by everyone who is able. I also agree that Dekalb is going about this in exactly the wrong way.
No incentive should be necessary. The money savings and indisputable moral correctness of conserving water (and all resources) should be enough.
Then again, we're modern capitalists and most of us are not going to conserve a damn thing without someone giving us money, so incentives will be necessary.
No incentive should be necessary. The money savings and indisputable moral correctness of conserving water (and all resources) should be enough.
Yes, in a perfect world that would be true. Sadly, we don't live in a perfect world and most people would rather spend their Christmas money on something other than low-flow toilets.
This isn't much different than state laws and local ordinances in many areas that mandate smoke and CO detectors, septic system overhauls, lead paint removal, and other things prior to a real estate transaction. In MA, it can cost thousands of dollars to retrofit a house with an older septic system.
If you have a small (ie...lower value) house, then you could be looking at a couple of toilets, shower heads and faucets. Many times, assistance or even free fixtures (shower heads) are available for low income homeowners or even the public at large. if you have a large (ie...higher value house), you've probably already updated the house within the last 14 years or the cost is minimal for you out of the transaction.
Either way, someone has to change these wasteful fixtures to more responsible ones. If it's not mandated at sale, then there is no incentive for it to get done. It would be nice if folks would do it on their own, and some do, but many don't.
Many times, assistance or even free fixtures (shower heads) are available for low income homeowners or even the public at large. if you have a large (ie...higher value house), you've probably already updated the house within the last 14 years or the cost is minimal for you out of the transaction.
There is no provision for assistance or free fixtures in the ordinance, there's no provision for exception based on financial need, and I doubt any such non-profit programs could be put in place rapidly enough to help low-income homeowners who must sell their homes in the next few months. But you are hitting the nail on the head that people with higher incomes and higher value homes are less likely to be affected than low income and elderly people. A much higher proportion have either bought newer homes or renovated older homes. However, does the fact that these people are less likely to be inconvenienced by the ordinance mean that they just don't care about the hardship that it will cause less the advantaged members of their community?
I'll say again, the problem with the ordinance is not the retrofitting of plumbing fixtures, it's the implementation strategy that will force a major expense on the most financially distressed members of our community at a time when home prices are already plunging (so they won't be able to recoup the investment in the sales price) and record numbers of DeKalb homeowners have already gone into foreclosure.
I don't think anyone disagrees that retrofitting out-dated plumbing is a good idea. But I don't see how anyone can believe that this ordinance AS WRITTEN is in the best interests of the people of DeKalb County.
The commission needs to re-think the implementation strategy of this ordinance so that it doesn't force more homeowners into foreclosure and cause an undue hardship on those members of our community who are financial unable to make the changes.
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