South English Council Discusses Water Leak

SOUTH ENGLISH – During the Feb. 11 meeting of the South English City Council, the council discussed the problems with water leaks, which is currently resulting in the city losing 15,000 gallons of water a day. City employee Leigh Armstrong stated he knew a leak detection business and would talk to them to find the leak. He noted that, if they don’t find the leak, they may have to go house to house and search for it.

City Clerk Stephanie Lown stated that there are seven water meters in town that are not reading properly, resulting in residents being billed the minimum amount. Mayor Ed Shafranek requested she check city records and estimate how much the city is short by, and stated they would need to hire someone to fix the meters.

Lown brought up confusing verbiage on city water bills, which mention a “garbage sale tax.” The city does not have garbage services, although they do provide recycling services. It was suggested the line was included on a template the city began using for water bills years ago and never removed. The council approved removing the line to avoid confusion.

Lown stated that some residents have not paid their water deposit, after buying houses from people who had paid water deposits, then not notifying the city about the change in ownership. As a result, their bills are sent under the wrong names. Shafranek says that residents need to notify the city about properties changing hands to receive their deposits back and told Lown to send shut-off notices to residents who hadn’t paid their deposit. Lown also noted that there are five houses that need to pay their water bills or have liens placed on their properties.

Leigh stated that the DNR needs South English to keep better records of lead, copper and bacteria tests. He requested a raise, from $550 per month to $700. Shafranek stated the council would vote on it at the next meeting.

The council approved hiring a law firm out of Davenport to be the new city attorneys.