DELINQUENT SEWER BILLS
In an interview on Fox News at 10 PM on Tuesday, June 6, 2006, the Mayor announced that he was planning to collect overdue sewer bills dating back to 1999.
Mr. Mayor you need to do your homework!
Apparently you were not listening to private citizen Valla Ann Bolovschak at Monday's June 5th council meeting as she explained to the City Council and the many citizens of New Albany that there was over 3 million dollars in uncollectable delinquent sewer bills. Valla Ann explained the IC 36-9-25-11 CODE.
(g) Fees assessed against real property under this section also constitute a lien against the property assessed. The lien attaches at the time of the filing of a notice of lien in the County Recorder's Office. The lien is superior to all other liens except tax liens.
(h) A fee assessed against real property under this section constitutes a lien against the property assessed only when the fee is delinquent for no more than three (3) years from the day after the fee is due.
Valla Ann explained that from 1999 through the end of 2003 there was over 3 million dollars not collected. Due to IC 36-9-25-11 WE CANNOT GO BACK AND COLLECT THESE UNPAID SEWER BILLS! She went on to explain that in 2004 the uncollected amount was approximately $900,000 and in 2005 the amount was around $700,000. This totals over 1.5 million dollars which you and your sewer board have failed to collect.
She also explained she had recently visited the Floyd County Treasurer's Office and had asked about the number of sewer liens turned over to the Treasurer for recording of same. The response was that none had been filed from January 2004- until after May 2005.
Valla Ann has been telling you and the sewer board for months to get busy and place liens on the property where the delinquent bills were accumulated. The liens are filed against the property owner, not the tenant. And the only thing sewer board attorney Fifer could says was, "Oh, they changed that process".
So we ask you Mayor Garner is this fair to us citizens who pay their sewer bills? And you have the nerve to raise our sewer rate because you and your adminstration are not doing there jobs?
Mr. Mayor where have you and your sewer board attorney been? Do you not know that Indiana Code controls that process. And just maybe you need to read Indiana Code.
Also last year, the City Council approved the position of a paralegal to be hired in the City Attorney's Office. Why hasn't that person been working on the delinquent sewer liens? The Sewer Board has now approved the hiring of another clerk for the billing office on the third floor to work on delinquent sewer bills. So how can you justify hiring additional employees when it is so obvious people are not doing their jobs?
Freedom Of Speech feels that this is incomptence on your part that the delinquent sewer bills have not been collected. We can only hold you accountiable from 2004 to present. What you are doing to the taxpayers is wrong.
It also makes us question your sincere honesty to do your job and hire the right people. And as you say the buck stops here!
We citizens are outraged that your not doing your job. But Valla Ann Bolovschak a private citizen is doing your job for free and looking out for the taxpayers. All the while you're being interviewed on Fox TV saying what you are going to do. Or did you go on TV because Valla Ann told the truth, gave the real facts about delinquent sewer bills and offered a solution? The citizens of New Albany are tired of promises. We want results!
Mayor Garner if you are not part of the solution for New Albany's problems then maybe you are part of the problem!
