RUSS board ponders what some Mt. Union residents are using for sewer

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Installing shut-off valves on five individual sanitary sewers in Mt. Union hasn?t caused any of the quintet to come forward and pay, Regional Utility Service Systems (RUSS) Executive Director Bruce Hudson told his board of directors Wednesday during the board?s regular monthly meeting.

The valves were installed on delinquent customers last month following the lifting of a temporary injunction forbidding RUSS installing the valves. The executive director also added that RUSS employees are checking the shut-off valves on a regular basis and, thus far, none of the valves have been tampered with.

Hudson said that residents are living in three of the houses and a recreational vehicle has been parked in the yard of a fourth, which Hudson surmises is being used as restroom facilities for that residence. ?It is odd that nobody has called to have their shutoff valve removed because I know there are people living in most of those houses.?

He said Mt. Union City Ordinances do not allow recreational vehicles to be parked on residential lawns for an indefinite period of time. However, the city is taking the position that because residents are not living in the RV, the vehicle can remain.

Hudson also informed his board that the City of Mt. Union has filed a notice of intent to appeal the last district court action in which the temporary injunction was lifted.

?I don?t know what they are appealing,? he said. ?To me, they (Mt. Union) are paying our and their attorney fees for these court actions and going nowhere very fast.?

Asked by his board whether more shut-off valves may have to be installed in the future in Mt. Union, Hudson shrugged his shoulders. ?Nothing surprises me about Mt. Union at this time. I would rather not install more shut-off valves.?

Hudson said the cost of installing the valves in Mt. Union ranged from $400 to $1,000. He said that if the valves were installed from 0-5 feet underground, the fee was $400. For a depth of 5-10 feet, the fee was $600 and over 10 feet was $1,000.

Mt. Union user fees, Hudson added, can?t be reduced until ?all this (court action and delinquent accounts) is settled.?

Currently, delinquent Mt. Union bills amount to approximately $25,000, RUSS officials said.

It is a possibility that Mt. Union might not be the only location in which shut-off valves are installed. Hudson said that there are three or four residences in Pleasant Plain in danger of having service terminated and there is a possibility of some being installed in Ollie.

The City of Denmark, Hudson said, has approached him regarding RUSS taking over the operation of its wastewater system. RUSS would not own the system, but perform maintenance, testing and other related duties.

Board members encouraged Hudson to continue discussions with the city regarding compensation. ?It is the business we are in and if they need help, I think we should help them,? said Jim Cary, RUSS board member from Des Moines County.

?It is in Lee County and that is a county we serve,? remarked Lee Dimmitt, RUSS board member from Jefferson County. ?If Bruce recommends it, I think we should do it.?

?I think it is a good deal for us and them,? Hudson said. He added he is putting together a pair of compensation quotes for Denmark with one including weekend work if needed.

Denmark?s wastewater system serves 220 customers.

RUSS also has a summer intern from Iowa Wesleyan College, Hudson said. He asked board members for some guidance on pay for the intern.

Austin Anderson, a business major at IWU, is the intern and will work 240 hours this summer to satisfy requirements of the internship. The board felt Anderson should be paid more than minimum wage and set the salary at $10 per hour. Under terms of the agreement, Anderson will be a contract employee of RUSS.

Board members and Hudson briefly discussed the Mooar/Powdertown project. The project is still in the planning stages, and Hudson said a system would be pricey for customers. ?There is no doubt that the minimum monthly fee would be $75 per customer, so we are back to the drawing board.?

RUSS board members meet again Wednesday, June 8, at 1 p.m., in the Henry County Emergency Management Building in Mt. Pleasant.