Well, the local municipal water treatment agency in my hometown (Olympia, WA) recently went through a very contentious wrangling with the Miller Brewing Co. over sewer rates. Miller purchased the old Olympia Brewery and the grandfathered 50% rates for sewage dumped into the system. Those grandfathered rates expired in 2000, and thus were up for re-negotiation. It only seems fair that the largest producer of waste in the community pay at least the same rates as others--right? Wrong! Miller threatened to close down the plant if the community didn't rollover and re-up those sweetheart rates.

Long story short--they eventually co-opted the city council and got their extorted 50% sewer rates on a 5-4 vote. Oh, ya, they also got between $8-12 million in back debt owed to the community wiped clean in the process.

They closed down the plant earlier this year....

Do businesses exist to serve the community, or is it the other way around?