The City of Indianola will pay one property owner a little over $1,300 for water and trash services that apparently were never provided after a water hookup was requested.
The board voted 4-1, including an abstention, to refund Dr. Adrian Brown $1,379.01.
Brown purchased the property at 104 Front Street in 2019, and he subsequently requested water to be hooked up. Because the building was not in use and is currently being renovated, Brown did not attempt to use the water at the property until later on.
He had been paying a monthly water bill, but when he tried to use the water, it was apparently not on.
The issue came up a couple of weeks ago at the last regular meeting, and Ward 1 Alderman Gary Fratesi pointed out that Brown had been charged for trash pickup as well, which should not have happened, due to the fact that it was a commercial property.
City Clerk Angela Goodwin returned this week with an adjusted figure.
Ward 5 Alderman Sam Brock took issue with the amount.
“It seems to me, in all fairness, among the citizens and the city, it looks like more of his responsibility than the city’s,” Brock said. “I was thinking mayor, we ought to go fifty-fifty, because it is his responsibility to make sure that the water, sewage and all of the other stuff is working, and if it’s not working then he’s supposed to inform the city. If this wasn’t done, how are you going to ask the city for $1,300?”
Brown noted that he has several properties in town and he paid his bill just like all of the rest each month.
“When you go to have services turned on, you expect for them to be on,” he said.
Brock’s subsidiary motion to pay only half the bill died for lack of a second when Board Attorney Kimberly Merchant pointed out that the board could attempt to negotiate the amount, but it likely did not have any standing to refuse to pay the full bill.
“If he didn’t receive the services, we can’t legally charge him,” she said.
Fratesi voted yes on the motion to pay, Ward 2 Alderman Darrell Simpson voted no, Ward 3 Alderman Ruben Woods voted yes, as did Ward 4 Alderman Marvin Elder. Brock abstained, which goes with the majority vote.
