By: Erin Smith
The Elizabethtown Town Council met in a noon work session on Monday and took up the issue of a sewer account matter involving Bud and Martha Lotz. The board voted to uphold its current policy and require the Lotz to begin paying a sewer fee and the town will not maintain the private sewer lift station belonging to them, as per current town policy. This will become effective on July 1.
The Lotz had appeared before the Council last month after they received a bill for sewer service. The couple told the board that when they purchased their home, they were told they would not be billed for sewer service by the town. The previous owner David Cross and former Elizabethtown Mayor Bill Keith had a verbal agreement that the town would not bill for sewer service due to issues that Cross had encountered after sewer service was extended to that street.
Town Manager Eddie Madden said that in 1979, the town extended sewer service to many areas. The policy at the time was that if you did not connect to the sewer service, you were still billed for it. He added that with the media coverage of the issue, it has generated interest and inquiries.
Pat DeVane said that town staff had received some phone calls based on news stories asking for reimbursement. He told the board there are some choices. DeVane said one way the board can handle the situation is to leave it like it is. He pointed out the Lotz are connected to the town’s sewer and do not pay for sewer service. DeVane added they also have a private sewer lift station that pumps to the city sewer system.
DeVane said a second option the town has is to “leave everything like it is” and require the Lotz to pay for the sewer service and maintain their own lift station. This was the option the DeVane said he recommended.
He also reminded the board that fairness is of the utmost importance. “They’ve had the benefit of 20 years of not paying a sewer bill,” said DeVane.
Councilman Ricky Leinwand asked if the Lotz have had any problems recently with the sewer and DeVane said his staff have not visited there in several years.
The board learned that DeVane was working on a water supply plan and asked Finance Department Director Jay Leatherman for a list of customers who were not paying for sewer service. DeVane said he and Leatherman discussed what information he needed and it was decided to do an audit of accounts that were not paying for city sewer service.
Councilmen Ricky Leinwand and Dicky Glenn asked if the couple have had problems with the sewer service. Mayor Sylvia Campbell said that in the past, the Lotz have had problems with the basement bathroom flooding when they have had house guests.
DeVane said that he was not aware of any problems the couple was facing now.
Councilman Paula Green said that it was her recollection that when Mayor Keith made the agreement, it was because the sewer connection as not engineered for a basement.
“That was the way it was presented,” said DeVane.
Madden said that it is the town’s responsibility to provide sewer service but it is not the town’s responsibility to maintain anything that is on the private side.
DeVane said he was aware of only one private sewer lift station the town currently services and it is by contract and it was negotiated when the home was under construction.
“To compromise I think they need to pay the sewer,” said Leinwand.
After some further discussion, Madden told the board that the sewer lift pump is a grinder pump and the couple should be able to find someone to service it.
DeVane told the board that there is a private lift station at the home of Dr. Lopez. DeVane said that the town paid for a new lift station to be installed there and Dr. Lopez signed an agreement that in order for the station to be installed, he would maintain it after installation.
The board voted to comply with the town’s current policy.
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