Mistake caught, Redkey rates going up (11/18/05)

REDKEY — The financial news for residents here was good and bad — but mostly bad — Thursday night.

A lengthy town council session before an orderly crowd of about 50 ended with the realization that water and sewer bills for residents will be increasing immediately and next month’s bills will be delivered on time.

An increase in water rates that was supposed to take effect in 1999 never did, town officials have learned, and that will mean an immediate 15 percent increase in those rates.

This may be bad news for residents who will also be facing the holiday shopping season, but good news for the town’s financially-strapped water department.

Newly appointed interim clerk-treasurer Sandy Kirby reported Thursday that after taking over the job a few weeks ago she had discovered that although town council members had approved a water rate hike in 1999, the billing rates had never been changed in the town’s 20-some-year-old Commodore computer.

For the past six years, the town had been continuing to bill its water customers at the rates set in 1987.

Since Kirby’s appointment in late October as an interim replacement for Brenda Adkins, she and computer consultant Matt Weaver have been trying to update the water billing records and determine which customers were behind in their payments.

Water bills were mailed late in November, and Kirby stressed that due to these problems none of the town’s water and sewer users will be penalized or threatened with having their water turned off at the present time.

“Their (the previous) system just wasn’t very good,” Weaver said, trying his best to be diplomatic, as he explained the situation Thursday to members of the town council and audience.

He said that new water bills will reflect rates which were approved by town council members in 1999.

“The 1987 (water rate) ordinances were changed, but your water bills have not reflected that,” Weaver said.

Kirby estimated this change will mean about a 15 percent increase in water rates, and minimum-usage bills will automatically be raised by about $5 a month.

The good news is that water users have been continuing to get bargain rates for the last six years, but the bad news is that the water department has been severely strapped for funds with few raises for employees and a substantial amount of the departmental equipment in need of repair.

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Weaver said that up until some recent improvements were made about 10 percent of the community’s water meters were inoperable, and consequently a substantial number of the bills in town had to be estimated.

Town council president Violet Erlenbush said she and town employee Greg McIlwain have been working to replace the inaccurate water meters as fast as possible. Since being hired about a year ago, McIlwain has replaced more than 100 meters, Erlenbush said.

The town’s water tower is in need of major repair or replacement.

“My biggest concern right now is it’s almost like cleaning a dirty house — where do you start?” Weaver said.

The computer consultant added that his main task currently is trying to provide better and more accurate reports to the clerk and town council.

In the process, Kirby and Weaver explained that the old Commodore computer “crashed big time” which in computer language means it quit functioning and couldn’t be restarted. Weaver is in the process of providing the town with up-to-date computer equipment as well as a new water-billing software unit.

In other business at Thursday night’s meeting, town council members:

•Agreed to set a special meeting to discuss the town’s budget in more detail. “A lot of the appropriations have already been overspent,” Kirby said. The payment of the November claims was delayed until this special meeting is held. Also Kirby reported that the state is holding up approval of the 2006 town budget for Redkey, pending the completion of some paperwork matters.

•Unanimously approved an ordinance to add a flat fee surcharge of $4 to each sewer bill, as a way to collect money for future sewer improvements as mandated by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

•Approved the hiring of Redkey area resident Anita Bourne as a part-time office assistant for the clerk-treasurer’s office at a rate of $8 an hour, not to exceed $192 a week.

The previous town clerk-treasurer, Adkins, also had a part-time assistant who has since resigned. In late October, Adkins submitted a two-sentence letter of resignation after Indiana State Board of Accounts said they had found “irregularities” while auditing the town’s financial documents, town attorney John Brooke said.

•Heard a report from consulting engineer Chad Ducey of Werks Management LLC, Fishers, that state officials were progressing with plans to redesign and improve the intersection of Ind. 67 and Ind. 1. He said that work on the project will probably begin next spring. He said utility work, including installation of new, larger storm sewers could begin sooner.

•Authorized an increase in the rate to rent the Redkey Park Cabin from $40 to $50 a day, starting Jan. 1, 2006.

•Heard Redkey Fire Chief Randy Young report that the annual arrival of Santa Claus on a fire truck at the downtown mini-park is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 25, at 6 p.m.

Santa will then be available to chat with children at the gazebo in the park.

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