Redkey to hike water rates 50% (03/16/07)

REDKEY - A 50 percent water rate increase will soon be taking effect here.

Recognizing a need to make major water system improvements and increase revenues for the department, Redkey council members Thursday voted unanimously to hike rates by 50 percent as soon as all legal requirements can be met.

Town clerk-treasurer Sandy Kirby said that adoption of the new rates, as proposed, will mean an increase in a minimum water bill from $7.72 a month to $11.58 a month.

A Redkey water customer who uses 4,000 gallons of water a month will see the bill increase from $14.50 a month to $21.75 a month.

This will be separate from the wastewater treatment charge which is not being increased, Kirby said.

Town leaders indicated that an additional water rate increase may also be needed in the near future, depending on how plans progress to obtain grant and loan money for proposed projects.

Improvements which are under consideration include a new water reservoir tank as well as the replacement of water mains in many sections of town.

Waiting until practically the end of the two-and-a-half hour meeting to discuss water rates, council members directed town attorney John Brooke to draft the necessary ordinance and schedule any necessary public hearings.

Anticipating that this will not be a popular move with many town residents, newly elected council member Charles Noble remarked, "Do we have any money in the general fund to put up a plastic shield in the council meeting room to protect board members when the public hearing is held?"

Also on the topic of water and sewer bill revenues, Brooke reported that recently his law firm has been representing the community in Jay County Superior Court, successfully winning several judgments regarding past due accounts.

But Brooke said a dispute is ongoing with area resident Phil Stolz, who was a defendant in a case involving a delinquent wastewater treatment bill.

Members of the council agreed Thursday to give area resident Phil Stolz a $3,000 credit toward a $4,000 judgment recently entered in Jay Superior Court for a past-due sewage account.

Brooke said that Stolz claimed he had never been paid for work which he had performed to help the town of Redkey with repairs at its wastewater treatment plant.

This work was done several years ago, and the account has been delinquent since 1993, according to Redkey town records.

In December, Stolz submitted a bill to the town of Redkey for the work reportedly done years earlier, claiming he was entitled to more than $3,000 in parts and labor, plus another $3,000 in interest from the town on the basis of a 10 percent per year interest rate.

Town utility employees Violet Erlenbush and Greg McIlwain agreed that the work was done, but not under their direction, Brooke said.

Brooke said that Stolz failed to appear for his court hearing, and a judgment was placed against him, calling for Stolz to pay approximately $4,000 on the past due account.

Town council president Doug Stanley and Noble pointed out that this all occurred before they took office. Kirby said she felt Stolz should have shown the town some sort of receipts for the materials as well as a breakdown on the labor charges as part of standard accounting procedures.

Following further discussion council member Dottie Quakenbush introduced a motion to give Stolz a $3,000 credit

Her motion passed on a split vote with council members Quakenbush, Dixie Toy and Darrell Smith voting in favor of the move, and Stanley and Noble voting against it.

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

•Rejected a motion, introduced by Stanley, to allow the Redkey Police Department to use a stun gun which was donated to the town. Stanley said the weapon would be useful in helping police officers deal with difficult situations and confrontations.

Stanley is the council member in charge of the police department, and although he was bringing this idea up for the first time, it had been raised by other council members on numerous occasions.

Former council president Quakenbush said, "I'll never vote for use of a Taser gun. I think it's cruel to see."

Also voting against Stanley's motion were Toy and Noble. Smith voted in favor of the proposal along with Stanley, but it was defeated by a margin of 3-2.

•Dropped the idea of enacting a new loitering ordinance after police department representative Tracy Layman reported that the department was against the proposal.

•Reviewed a financial report from Kirby about the status of town accounts and the need to approve two fund transfer resolutions to help with cash flow problems. One was needed to cover the unanticipated February snow removal costs. Overall, as of Feb. 28, the town is still operating in the black," Kirby said.[[In-content Ad]]REDKEY - In an abrupt about-face, council members rejected a new mobile home ordinance proposal Thursday which had been approved on the first of two required readings at a Redkey council session last month.

Provisions of this new proposal were under discussion Thursday night, when newly elected Redkey council president Doug Stanley interrupted, asking why this measure had been proposed in 2006, prior to his tenure on the council.

"I don't think this will work," Stanley said, emphasizing that what Redkey really needs is a zoning ordinance covering mobile homes and all other types of buildings.

The council president than made a motion to reject the mobile home ordinance proposal.

Stanley's motion was seconded by Dixie Toy, and approved unanimously. "This (mobile home regulations) will be reconstructed hopefully as part of an overall zoning ordinance," Stanley said.

Otherwise, "we're just spinning our wheels," he added.