Huntingdon Hears More Complaints About Water

HUNTINGDON (April 23) — Three citizens were in attendance at the Huntingdon Town Mayor and Council meeting on Tuesday, April 23 to verbalize their complaints with the Huntingdon Water and Sewer Department.
Barbara Knuutila, Allison Williams, and Marty Towater each had different concerns about the utility services.
Some of the ongoing complaints were addressed during the March meeting when the city voted to spend $1,536,146 in two projects to replace aging water lines and to install all new self-reading, digital water meters. The new meters are expected to be installed in the coming months. Those will be read automatically and not be subject to human error in reading the meters.
Knuutila addressed the Council in March and registered her complaints about improperly read water meters and discolored water. She was on the agenda for April, however, Mayor Nina Smothers said she sent Knuuita a letter addressing each of the issues. Water Superintendent Randy Crossett helped with the response in the letter and each councilman received a copy of that response.
Allison Williams said her water bill was $601 and had not been read in months until recently. The prior three months bills were $89, said Williams. She said she was told the $601 bill was a caught-up bill since she had used the water and had been undercharged in previous bills. She said she phoned city hall and received no correspondence back. Williams said another water customer had his or her bill adjusted from $800 to $500. She noted the adjustment policy is inconsistent with the city’s ordinance.
Mayor Smothers said some of the information provided by Williams was incorrect and requested to meet with her.
Marty Towater complained about the cost of a replacement grinder pump that was required for his sewer connection. It was installed on October 9, 2023 at a cost of $3,400 after the original pump failed after more than 20 years of service. His property was annexed in 1997 and the city provided a grinder pump to install in his septic tank to connect it to the city’s sewer system. The grinder pump allows the city to extend sewer services in areas where the cost of a sewer lift station is not feasible. Originally, the city provided the pump for free.
Towater said he phoned the water superintendent five times and another employee of the department 12 times before the pump was installed. The pump was installed on October 9, 2023. To his surprise, Towater received a $3,400 invoice on April 12, 2024. Originally, the invoice had him incorrectly charged with two pumps, rather than just one.
Towater said he reviewed the public notice in the Carroll County News-Leader concerning a water rate adjustment, however, the notice said nothing about sewer grinder pumps. He spoke with the former water superintendent, who noted the grinder pumps were a way for the city to provide sewer without the cost to install a sewer lift station. That was a cost-savings for the city.
Mayor Smothers said the policy about water and sewer rates were all in a public notice, which was just a summary of the ordinance. That ordinance was approved after two separate readings by the Council and a public hearing.
City Attorney Robert Keeton, III, who is also the mayor of Bruceton, said the public notice is a summary and not inclusive of all the provisions of the ordinance. The city followed a state regulatory agency and the city’s insurer recommendation that grinder pumps be purchased by the individual property owner to limit liability for the city.
In other business, the Council voted to call for an election for the office of mayor and four at-large councilmen for four-year terms.
They approved Arrow Paving Company’s bid to pave at a rate of $152 per ton for an estimated total of $291,780. Jones Brothers bid $190.00 per ton for an estimated price of $451,577. It is to pave five city streets.
A bid to purchase a breathing air compressor for the Fire Department was approved from the low bidder, Breathing Air Systems at $42,590. The system is to refill the self-contained breathing apparatus worn by firefighters when they enter a burning building. Three other bids ranged in price from $43,790 to $55,853.
An ordinance was approved to change the setback requirements for corner lots in residential zones. A change was also made to the Alcoholic Beverage retail store ordinance. Election day was eliminated from the days of prohibited sales for alcoholic beverages.