Where's the money, Lebowski?
by M. StewartThe East Liverpool Board of Public Utilities presented me with a $853 water bill last month. In preparation for a hearing, I asked the water department clerk to show me all the bills, payments, and usage numbers since I bought my house over 11 years ago. In doing so, she discovered a $404 calculation error, which left me with a $449 bill.
According to the water department, I had been underbilled for years due to a faulty external meter. To fix the problem, I had to shell out another $110 for a new meter. Although I’m $560 lighter today, I trust that my water usage data will be accurate in the future, and I'm glad to have paid what I owe.
I mention this not to make the water department people look bad. Even though it required my forcing the issue, they were gracious in their willingness to help me solve the problem. There is no doubt in my mind, however, that if I had not been in a position to pay the $449 by Oct. 15, my water service would have been shut off within ten days. Water departments have to work that way.
Friday’s Review carried a story indicating that our Board of Public Utilities has been forced to take out a loan to fix water pump motors at a cost of $35,600. Sewage rates already are set to increase on Nov. 1, and because of slumping revenues, the board is considering another water rate increase.
. . .which brings me to the $9,714,036.37 (plus 8 percent interest) that Buckeye Water District owes the city of East Liverpool as a result of the February 2008 judgment against the water district for breach of contract.
Why isn’t anyone at city hall mentioning this $10 million debt? Where did this money go?
Buckeye Water’s March 4, 2008 appeal was dismissed a month later by the Seventh District Court of Appeals. I haven’t heard anything since. In the meantime, BWD opened a brand new, very expensive water treatment plant outside of Wellsville, complete with ceremonies, tours, and grip-and-grin photos of politicians and board members on the front pages of our newspapers.
Yet the East Liverpool Board of Public Utilities has to take out a loan to cover routine maintenance of pumps.
Something is seriously wrong with this picture. Can someone tell us little folk—you know, the ones who are required to pay our water bills—why Buckeye Water District doesn’t have to pay its $10 million bill? What am I missing?
posted by M. | 8:15 AM
13 Comments:
Why didn't the city inform you of a faulty external meter? I'm sure the city does periodical checks of all meters --- whether from city offices or on site visits.
As for BWD, DeAngelo is a nihilist and his army is a Nihilist Army preying on the poor.
The same thing happened to my elderly father several years back.
Turns out he did not have one of those new outside meters after all.
When we looked into the matter, we found out that his meter had not had an "actual" reading in over 3 years. When questioned about this they said it was because he had a dog.
As it turned out they owed my dad because it had been estimated high all that time.
I was puzzled why they never let him know they were not reading it because of the (friendly) dog. At least AEP sent a letter stating why and gave the scheduled reading dates for their meter.
I guess consideration is not always used.
This matter is still in appeal, at least according to BWD officials just this week.
I dont think its fair they shut off water after 15 days. If you own a rental property and your tenant doesnt pay the bill they leave it on forever. Someone explain that.
Why do you hate water and all involved with delivering this life sustaining subsistence to your house?
All I can say is, "huh?"
When the AEP reader decided my dog was too "threatening" (he had been reading same meter with same dog for four years), they put a new meter on my house that can be read from behind the fence. He never has to come onto the property.
No harm, no foul (at least I assume)
I am apalled that you would be assessed such a high bill due to a faulty meter. I also wonder why it hadn't been checked and you informed it was broken?
The water department notified me of the problem and it got fixed. I don't have an issue with how it went down, nor do I have a problem with the water department.
I understand why you have to pay it - you used the water, so it makes sense.
But they shouldn't force you to pay the entire balance of the oversight within 30 days!
That's ridiculous. For a bill several times larger than normal, they should give you at least 90 days. In all fairness, what they really should do is allow you the same period of time to pay it in which it was accrued.
A multi-year mistake should equal a multi-year payment plan.
Oh well, at least they fixed it.
I'm not sure they would have made me pay it all at once if I couldn't. It never came up, so I made that assumption -- perhaps incorrectly.
Have to be honest M, now that you have your position with the City (or whatever it maybe) you seem to be less opinionated about the workings of the city, water department and all. I sort of enjoy the optimism.
It could be, but I usually don't hold back if I think something is worth questioning. Basically, I think the city is managed fairly well given the limited resources available. East Liverpool presents some difficult challenges from a management perspective.
why dont you bring back the wellsville zone dont you have frind running
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