Contractors’ water deal sours while Town Council president calls for special meeting
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Jessica Jones, president of the Trafalgar Town Council, says contractors buying water from the city are getting a sweetheart of deal.
But, she says, there is little oversight of how much is used or paid for, and the deal has soured. She has called for Indiana State Police to investigate.
Jones sent I-Team 8 a series of pictures of contractors filling up their water tanks. She told me her comments are as a private citizen and not as council president.
I-Team 8 asked Jones, “Do you have any reason to believe that water has been stolen from the town?” She replied, “I do, I have certain individuals have sent me videos and pictures of people that have been on hydrants without meters with their own meters how do we know if those meters are working.”
She says it is not uncommon for a water utility to sell water to contractors that fill pools, do landscaping, or to builders. However, she says it is uncommon to sell the water on an honor system, which was scheduled to be the subject of a special Town Council meeting.
“I hope that the council will take action to recognize that honor system is not something that can continue in the town,” Jones said.
She is asking for standard operating procedures that will fairly account for all the water used by contractors.
“The water bills are high. It is the highest utility I’ve got,” said Ryan Bertram, a resident of Trafalgar.
Bertram says his wife and daughter are pretty conservative with water. Their water bill for May is just over $200.
“I don’t water my lawn and I don’t wash my car,” he said laughingly.
Bertram says the town has promised water bills would go down as more people moved into the area. He says his bill has steadily increased and he doesn’t like the fact that contractors are getting water at a reduced rate that residential customers are subsidizing.
“That is not cool; not called for; and certainly not if they are putting the bill back on town folks,” said Bertram.
Jones says an Indiana State Board of Accounts’ audit of the town’s books found inadequate control over the water deal for contractors. She is hoping to put those controls in place right away.