By David Hedges
Publisher
thetimesrecord.net
Since a near-meltdown last year, the financial picture of the Mt. Zion Public Service District is looking much better.
During their Monday evening meeting at Arnoldsburg, Norma Collins told PSD members Sharon Postalwait, Roscoe Gainer and Shirley Mace their outstanding bills amounted to just over $44,000.
That included $19,000 still owed on a $24,000 fine imposed by the W.Va. Dept. of Environmental Protection for problems with the Mt. Zion sewer system. Collins said the PSD was making monthly payments of $1,000 on the fine.
The PSD owes more than $21,000 to Tom Fluharty and Dick Ullum, the contractors doing business as B&T Battery, who are operating the sewer and water systems.
PSD board members have not been paid their $75 monthly salary for eight months, another $1,800.
That leaves only about $1,800 in unpaid bills, a dramatic improvement since last year.
"That's a long way from $267,000," Mace, the PSD treasurer, said, referring to a figure tossed out last year when the PSD was trying to get its finances in order after the resignation of longtime secretary/treasurer Wilma Mace.
Collins said the payables in January of this year were nearly $65,000.
Members said revenue had picked up since the monthly billing was taken over by Saundra Ballengee, and cutoff notices were sent to customers who had not been paying their water and sewer bills.
A W.Va. Public Service Commission staff investigation into the PSD's finances and practices is now scheduled to be complete by the end of the month, PSC members learned.
Members said they had recently received six more boxes of records from Wilma Mace, after being told there was no other information to be turned over.
"Last year, she said that was all she had," Gainer noted.
Shirley Mace reported that there were still more records in Wilma Mace's home, but someone would have to get them.
At last month's meeting, PSD members decided to post the positions of billing clerk and accounts payable clerk, which have been handled by Ballengee and Collins on a volunteer basis since Wilma Mace's resignation.
After learning that each of the former volunteers were paid $600 last month, Gainer asked why the positions had not been posted.
"We haven't hired anybody yet," he said. "We have to do this the right way."
Members decided last month to advertise the positions, and set the pay at $600 per month for each job.
Collins said she did not advertise the positions because no job descriptions had been developed. She said she was also afraid several people might apply.
Postalwait, the PSD chairman, voiced her support of the two former volunteers.
"As far as I'm concerned, you are the ones who got us out of this," Postalwait said.
PSD members agreed to continue the meeting until 6 p.m. Friday to finalize the advertisement and review job descriptions.
In the meantime, they agreed to pay Ballengee and Collins as temporary help.
Shirley Mace said Collins, although she was her daughter, was eligible to apply because a W.Va. PSC official said as long as they did not live in the same home, Collins could work for the PSD.
The PSD did approve contracts with B&T, operators of the water and sewer systems since last August. The company will be paid $2,000 per month for operating the water system and $2,000 per month for the sewer system, plus $50 an hour for backhoe service when needed, or $60 an hour when an outside operator is used.
Both Fluharty and Ullum are certified to operate the sewer system. Ullum is certified for the water system, and Fluharty is completing the training.
Ullum reported all major water leaks had been repaired. At Gainer's suggestion, the PSD agreed to purchase 10 radio-read meters to begin the task of replacing old meters in the system.
The PSD also decided to put a meter and lock on the fire hydrant at West Fork Park, and issue a key to the Arnoldsburg fire chief, who will be asked to complete monthly reports on water usage.
PSD members said there had been problems with people getting water from the hydrant and not paying for it.
Ullum also reported that renovations to allow the PSD building on W.Va. 16 to be used as an office were nearly complete.
In other business, PSD members approved invoices for a $5 million water line extension including $353,253.98 to Bruce Allen Inc., the pipeline contractor.
The construction period began May 31, but so far the only work done has been to move pipe into the area and erect signs.
Fred Rader of the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Council, project administrators, said the contractor would start installing pipe this month. The extension is supposed to be complete by next July.
Other invoices approved were $3,540 to Michael Griffith, CPA, and reimbursement of $1,100 in PSD funds Wilma Mace paid herself last year for right-of-way work.
PSD members also accepted a contract, subject to W.Va. PSC approval, with Dunn Engineers Inc., to begin planning for a sewer system upgrade.
Dunn president Wayne Hypes attended the meeting and discussed problems with the current system.
"You've got some real issues to deal with," he said.
The firm will prepare a proposal the PSD can use to seek grant funding for the sewer improvements.
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