Fillmore council looks at repairs, water loss
FILLMORE -- The Fillmore Town Council had an uncomplicated regular meeting last week in considering some financial decisions.
The council first addressed updating a handheld water meter and its accompanying software. Council President Meredith Trusty said both were unreliable, with Town Maintenance Director Joe Cash encountering consistent issues and having to estimate.
For reference, Clerk-Treasurer Jayna Haldeman said that she had gotten an estimate for a new meter in 2018 at $8,600.
Trusty queried whether the council needed to then approve purchasing a new meter costing no more than $10,000. However, council member Jerry Huff said the town needed to get estimates before a decision was made. As such, the issue was tabled.
Cash also presented two quotes to replace a damaged lift station pump. One was for a German-made pump at $13,568, while the other from BBC Pump & Equipment would cost $18,750.
Cash said the bad pump was 20 years old and needed to be swapped out as soon as possible. The council agreed, and approved to purchase the German-made pump. Cash also said it would get to him in about seven to 10 days, and that the town would not pay tax on it.
The council also discussed a high water leakage which occurred at a home on Hendricks Street last December. Haldeman stated the vacant home was recently purchased by a real estate company which had asked for the water to be turned on.
Haldeman said the leak had gone on for 10 days, though Cash provided that the water wasn’t running when he went to turn it on. Ultimately, 331,000 gallons of water were lost.
The council mainly focused on the water and wastewater bills which were incurred, with them being about $2,600 and $2,900, respectively. It was argued that the wastewater could be offset, as no water was found to have run through the sewer.
Trusty stated that the issue had not been discussed with Town Attorney Jeff Boggess, and that the council wanted to consider legal avenues to adjust the leak as fairly as possible.
In other business, the council approved and signed for Haldeman to appropriate and transfer funds to balance out accounts which were in the red at the end of 2019. This is a routine action taken by municipalities and school boards.
Boggess and Town Marshal Darrel Bunten were both absent from the meeting.
The next regular meeting of the Fillmore Town Council is scheduled for Thursday, March 5 at 7 p.m. in the Fillmore Town Hall.