Control of Jeffersonville sewer billing office shifts

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August 4, 2012

Control of Jeffersonville sewer billing office shifts

Mayor views change in structure as attempt to gain control by Jeffersonville City Council

By BRADEN LAMMERS braden.lammers@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Sat Aug 04, 2012, 08:51 AM EDT

JEFFERSONVILLE — Jeffersonville’s Sanitary Sewer Board has changed who oversees the city’s sewer billing office.

The sewer board at a Thursday meeting approved reverting to the structure that was previously in place — and outlined in a 2010 city organizational chart — to have the sewer billing office under the control to the city’s Wastewater Superintendent Len Ashack.

While the move puts the office back in line with a city ordinance, according to Sewer Board Attorney Scott Lewis, it was viewed by Mayor Mike Moore as the Jeffersonville City Council’s way to control the waivers being granted to local residents on their sewer bills.

The city adopted changes to the sewer summer relief program in July — which required residents to install water meters on their outdoor spigots or sign a waiver at the sewer billing office in order to receive a discounted rate — instead of a discount being applied to all residents’ bills.

Moore and the council had been at odds over a summer relief program for a couple of months before the changes were adopted. Even after the agreement was reached, Moore said he would not — and the city did not have the resources to — investigate every person that signed a waiver to receive a discounted rate. He simply said he would take people at their word.

But the move made by the sewer board Thursday effectively turns control of the sewer board billing office over to the city council, even though it will still be managed by the Billing Office Manager Rick Stephenson.

“Day-to-day operations previously [were] the mayor’s responsibility, now it’s going to be the sewer board’s,” said City Attorney Les Merkley. “Now, if there’s problems at the sewer billing office with sewer bills, the mayor has no will to do anything. It’s going to be the sewer board and the city council.”

Direct supervision of the sewer billing office does not fall to the city council. The change puts the sewer billing office under Ashack’s control, but he is supervised by the sewer board, of which the majority of the members are appointed by the council. Before Thursday’s meeting, control of the sewer billing office had been under the supervision of City Controller Monica Harmon.

“The sewer board made a decision — let’s have the sewer billing under Monica, which in effect was under the mayor,” Merkley explained. “What they’re doing now is reverting back to how it had previously been done for years. Those two guys are appointed by city council so they control the sewer board,” he said referring to Sewer Board Members Dale Orem and Bill Saegesser.

When the change was offered by Orem at Thursday’s meeting, Moore asked what prompted the desire to alter the way the office had been operating.

“A change of our attitude, I think, and trying to help Monica better do her job and ... she doesn’t have that responsibility on top of her,” Orem said. “She’s got enough to do with all the finances.”

Lewis said the change moved the office back to the organization outlined in March 2010, which is more consistent with Indiana code to have sewer billing control under the sanitary sewer board.

“All that we’re trying to do is go back to this chart that we have and that the city organized,” Orem said. “[We’re] just trying to be consistent.”

Harmon said that she was told the board was considering the change, but offered no further opinion or comment on the matter.

The change was approved 2-1, with Moore voting against.

Middle Road bid opening

The sewer board also opened bids for the Middle Road sewer project at the meeting.

Josh Darby, engineer with Jacobi, Toombs and Lanz Inc., said the project will connect the areas annexed by the city onto its sewer system and includes about 500 feet worth of sewer extensions, with a groundbreaking expected in about a month.

The low bid for the project, out of seven offers, came from New Albany-based MAC Construction at a price of $365,425. The high bid totaled $528,000. However, even the low bid exceeded the engineer’s estimate of $331,045.

“We’ll check and see what the discrepancy is with the engineers estimate,” said Jorge Lanz, president of Jacobi, Toombs and Lanz.

He recommended the board take the bids under advisement so they could be reviewed. The sewer board unanimously agreed.

10th Street pump station

Work is wrapping up on the 10th Street pump station, but a finishing touch may get a second look.

After CH2M Hill provided an update to the final stages of work, Moore asked if an aesthetic change could be made because plans include adding a chain-link fence around the facility.

“I just think coming into Jeffersonville, a six- to seven-foot chain-link fence, on a corner intersection, it’s not an attractive sight,” he said.

The sewer board asked City Engineer Andy Crouch to look into the design and a potentially more “attractive” alternative.