Kingsport

Kingsport Moves to Limit Winter Sewer Average to May–September Bills (AF-290-2026)

Kingsport’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen has a sewer-billing change on first reading Oct. 6. Under AF-290-2026, each residential customer’s winter sewer average would apply only to May through September bills, and the old 3,000-gallon cushion would be dropped. Final adoption is set for Nov. 3.

Tracy King

06 Oct 2026 • 6 min read

Kingsport residential customers would see the winter sewer average applied only to May–September bills under AF-290-2026. Illustrative photo.

Kingsport homeowners who water a lawn or fill a pool in summer have a sewer-billing change in front of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen this week. Action form AF-290-2026, an ordinance amending Section K, the Winter Sewer Average, of Ordinance No. 7268, is on first reading at the board's Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, business meeting. Staff recommends approval, and the form lists final adoption for Nov. 3, 2026.

If approved, each residential customer's individual winter sewer average would be applied only to billing months May through September, and the additional 3,000 gallons that has historically been folded into the calculation would no longer be added.

What the winter sewer average does

Most water that runs through a house in winter goes down a drain and into the sewer system. In summer, a lot of it goes on the yard. The city's action form says the winter sewer average is intended to give customers a discount during the summer months when they are watering yards and filling swimming pools.

The city set its current water and sewer rates in June 2026 with Ordinance 7268, which the draft ordinance says was adopted on June 16, 2026. That ordinance included the winter sewer average for residential customers in Section K.5.

What changes under AF-290-2026

According to the executive summary, the city has historically charged the winter sewer average plus up to an additional 3,000 gallons when a customer used more than the average, and that process was applied for the entire year. The form says the amendment is needed because of requirements in the city's new Customer Information System (CIS) billing software and to comply with best billing practices.

The summary also describes what has already happened on bills this year. During the May through September 2026 billing months, customers were charged for actual usage or the winter sewer average, whichever was less, and the 3,000-gallon addition has not been applied since the new CIS launched in April 2026. In other words, the ordinance would write into code what the billing system has been doing since spring.

How the average would be calculated

The amended Section K.5 spells out the formula in plain terms:

Winter window. The base figure uses each metered residential customer's consumption during the five-month billing periods of December to April, when water use is reasonably stable and most water enters the sewer system.
Minimum readings. At least three monthly readings are needed. October and November are included if three eligible readings cannot be obtained between December and April.
Reading limits. For a reading to count, it must be at least 1,000 gallons and no more than 10,000 gallons.
When it applies. Once established, the final average is used as the individual sewer average for the billing months of May through September, and a new average is set each year.
New customers. Three months of billing history are needed to establish the winter sewer average for a new customer.

Winter sewer average at a glance

Item	City action form / draft ordinance
Action form	AF-290-2026
Ordinance amended	Ordinance No. 7268, Section K.5 (adopted June 16, 2026)
Work session	Oct. 5, 2026
First reading	Oct. 6, 2026
Final adoption (scheduled)	Nov. 3, 2026
Staff recommendation	Approve the ordinance
Averaging window	December to April billing periods
Readings counted	Minimum 1,000 gallons, maximum 10,000 gallons; at least three readings
Months the average applies	May through September
Extra 3,000 gallons	No longer added
New customers	Three months of billing history

What it means for Kingsport homeowners, buyers, and sellers

For an existing homeowner, the change is mostly about predictability. The summer cap now tracks your own winter usage without a 3,000-gallon cushion on top, and it applies in the five summer billing months rather than all year. A household that uses more water in summer than in winter would see sewer charged on the lower of actual use or its winter average from May through September.

For buyers moving into a Kingsport home, the "three months of billing history" rule matters. A new account does not have a winter average on day one. If you close on a house in spring and plan to fill a pool or put in new sod, it is worth asking the city's utility billing office how your account will be treated until an average is set.

For sellers, utility costs come up more often than people expect, especially with buyers relocating from other states. A short note in your listing file with a year of water and sewer bills, and a line about how the winter sewer average works, can answer a question before it slows down a contract. Sellers with irrigation systems or pools may want to show summer bills next to winter bills so a buyer sees the real range.

Sewer costs are also tied to long-term infrastructure spending. In September the city moved ahead on a sewer study covered in Kingsport Sets $161,745 Madd Branch Sewer Study for Lincoln St, and the property tax picture is in Kingsport Holds $1.67 Tax Rate; Board Hears AF-239-2026.

Questions worth asking before you buy or list

How many eligible winter readings does the account have, and what is the current average?
If the house was vacant or lightly used over the winter, how will that affect next summer's sewer charges?
Is there a separate irrigation meter, a pool, or a leak history that explains unusual bills?
When a new owner opens an account, what happens to sewer billing until three months of history exist?

None of these questions require a lawyer or an inspector. They take a phone call or a look at past statements, and they help a buyer compare a Kingsport home with one in Johnson City or Bristol on equal footing.

Also on the Oct. 6 Kingsport agenda

W. Virginia Avenue sinkhole (AF-277-2026). The board is asked to ratify an emergency procurement of $80,720.00 with Rembco Geotechnical Contractors, Inc. to remediate a sinkhole in the right-of-way of W. Virginia Avenue. The action form says the sinkhole developed on July 23, 2026, an initial repair was noticed settling on Aug. 10, 2026, and proposals from three geotechnical contractors came in on Sept. 8, 2026.
West End Greenbelt Extension (AF-286-2026). Approval would authorize the property acquisition agent to obtain right-of-way, slope easements, and temporary easements for the project, which extends from the existing greenbelt walkway on Netherland Inn Road to Port Drive.

Kingsport dates to watch

Oct. 5, 2026 — Board of Mayor and Aldermen work session (AF-290-2026 listed).
Oct. 6, 2026, 7:00 p.m. — Board of Mayor and Aldermen business meeting, City Hall, 415 Broad Street, Montgomery-Watterson Boardroom (first reading of AF-290-2026).
Nov. 3, 2026 — Scheduled final adoption of AF-290-2026.

Weighing a move in the Tri-Cities and want to know what your Kingsport house is worth before you list? Get a free home valuation, or request a cash offer if you would rather skip showings.

What is Kingsport AF-290-2026?

It is an ordinance amending Section K, the Winter Sewer Average, of Ordinance No. 7268. It is on first reading Oct. 6, 2026, with final adoption scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.

How would the winter sewer average change in Kingsport?

Each residential customer’s winter sewer average would apply only to the May through September billing months, and the additional 3,000 gallons would no longer be added to the sewer billing calculation.

How is the Kingsport winter sewer average calculated?

It uses consumption from the December to April billing periods, needs at least three readings, and counts only readings between 1,000 and 10,000 gallons. October and November can be used if needed.

Has the 3,000-gallon addition already stopped?

The city says the 3,000-gallon addition has not been applied since the new Customer Information System launched in April 2026, and May–September 2026 bills used actual usage or the average, whichever was less.