Billing back on track (12/30/05)

REDKEY — Billing for the town’s water utility should be back on track by February.

New clerk-treasurer Sandra Kirby has been working to sort out a billing system which has been in disarray for years. Many customers are behind in their payments, others may have paid without being correctly credited, and a 1999 water rate increase was never applied to bills.

A State Board of Accounts audit of Redkey’s finances in the wake of the resignation of former clerk-treasurer Brenda Adkins is expected to be completed early in 2006.

“Bills are going to be estimated this time,” Kirby said Thursday at a year-end meeting of the Redkey Town Council. “They probably will be in the mail the first week of January. My goal is to be back on target by February first.”

Customers with overdue bills “need to get in here and get with us and get these bills paid,” she added. “We’re going to start assessing penalties and getting disconnect notices out” in February.

The town is working with water customers on payment plans to sort out the billing situation.

In other utility-related matters, the council discussed changing the sewage-only fees for residents who have their own water wells. That rate is now set at $28.02 per month, while the minimum sewage charge for water customers is $17.32.

“I don’t know how that was determined,” Kirby said of the sewage-only fee. “This is something the board needs to think about.”

Council members also discussed the water utility deposit system but took no action on changing it until the matter can be discussed with town attorney John Brooke, who was not present at Thursday’s session.

The council also agreed to defer action on the 2006 salary ordinance until it can be reviewed by Brooke. As drafted, the ordinance calls for all town employee salaries to remain the same.

Council members unanimously agreed to water bill adjustments for Lana Ellingwood and Gerald Arnold because of leaks or meter malfunctions.

The council also approved new hours proposed by Kirby for the clerk-treasurer’s office.

In 2006, the office will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. In the past, the office had been closed on Wednesday afternoons and had been open two Saturday mornings per month.[[In-content Ad]]