The Metropolitan Sewerage District (MSD) is responsible for treating and disposing of the wastewater generated in Asheville and surrounding areas, and to my knowledge, it has no competition where septic tanks and straight-piping are forbidden. Enjoying a monopoly’s ability to name its price, the MSD has two programs to help with the provision of affordable housing:

· A rebate of up to $1,100 per unit in the facility fee for new affordable housing developments
· A cost recovery program through which the MSD contributes a portion of the cost of extending the public sewer to the property on which the housing is located.

The MSD wishes to make the latter option an exclusive privilege for affordable housing developments. To do so, it must present evidence to the state indicating that participating jurisdictions have a “compelling interest” in affordable housing.

This seemed an odd way to keep the price of housing down, and it inspired me to write a poem. I will call it, “Perverse Incentives:”

If I really love the poor,
Should I flush the toilet more?