Salem council hears complaints about excessive water bills

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

SALEM ? Water bills and nuisances dominated a rather light agenda Tuesday for the Salem City Council.

Several residents complained of exorbitant water bills.

Scott and Laura Roen, owners of the former Vault building, said their most recent water bill was $500. Salem Mayor Dan Patterson agreed that the bill seemed excessive and advised the couple ?to pay what you normally do.?

Brenda Grelk said her last water bill was over $300 and she was gone for 14 days during the month and had turned off her water while she was gone.

?I got a crazy water bill,? Grelk said. ?My bill has never been above $60 and that was when I had five people living there. I had a plumber come in and he couldn?t find a leak.?

Dick Myers, city public works director, said that a toilet that was running might have been the problem. ?Water moves the meter, there had to be some water movement.?

Patterson told Grelk to wait until she receives next month?s bill, ?and we will go from there.?

Councilwoman Mary Hoyer updated the council on five properties in the community, which had been mailed nuisance abatement letters. The letters were either for cluttered lawns or junked vehicles parked on the premises.

Hoyer said the city has sent a copy of the nuisance abatement language in city code to the respective parties. If the letter does not lead to action, the city will send another letter, Hoyer noted, that gives the property owner 10 days to clean up the property or face a possible fine and court action.

?All we?re asking is to have people make their property look halfway decent,? Patterson explained.

The city will save $1,352 on its insurance premium. Last month, the city reviewed its coverage with an agent from Twin Rivers Insurance Agency and learned that some of its deductibles were as low as $250 while others ranged from $500 to $1,000. Council members asked the agent to give them a quote on $1,000 deductibles on all coverage and the result was the aforementioned savings.

Salem City Council members will meet again in regular session Tuesday, Aug. 2, at 5:30 p.m., in the Community Building.