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Birmingham-- Jefferson County officials are scrambling to determine how they failed to bill St. Vincent's Hospital, UAB and others large facilities for nearly three-million dollars in sewer services. The problem came to light Monday in a federal court hearing over whether a receiver should take over management of the county's sewer system. County commission president Bettye Fine Collins tells WBHM's Tanya Ott the billing mistake was a shock to her.

For his part, Jefferson County Commissioner Jim Carns tells Tanya Ott it was a mistake that took place before he was overseeing sewer operations and he doesn't make any apologies for it.

Collins, Carns and Ott continue their conversation with a discussion about the legal challenges to the occupational tax and how the county might handle massive budget cuts.

~ Tanya Ott, June 2, 2009.