Marion aldermen reiterated the need for a policy governing adjustments on residents’ water bills Monday as more accounts were presented for changes.

 

The town recently began bringing water adjustments before the Board of Aldermen after years of leaving the decision in the hands of water department clerks. Since hearing adjustment requests, aldermen have raised questions about how far back a request can be made, how quickly a repair needs to be made and the responsibilities of tenants and landlords at Marion’s apartment complexes.

 

Aldermen Norman Coleman said a written policy is needed to establish a process for receiving a water adjustment and ensuring all residents receive fair treatment. Marion currently allows one adjustment per household per year, he said, but some apartment buildings are experiencing multiple leaks in different units.

 

“What bothers me is these landlords for the apartment complexes, they own the building. Even though they’re different tenants, they’re getting adjustments one after the other,” he said. “It seems like some of that hardship should go on the people who own these buildings.”

 

In drafting its policy, the Board of Aldermen is hoping to balance holding landlords responsible for timely repairs while also making tenants responsible for reporting problems quickly as well.

 

Mayor Larry Gill said there are several things that need to be addressed in the new policy, including potentially raising the deposit amount for water accounts for renters. Residents living in apartments can come and go quickly, he said, and the current $100 deposit isn’t always enough to cover the unpaid water bill.

 

“You may get one month out of $100,” he said.

 

Gill said other water associations in the area charge as much as $250 for a deposit for residents living in apartment complexes for just that reason.

 

Town Attorney Dustin Markham said the first step in addressing the board’s concerns is to put a policy in place. A policy will set the ground rules for adjustments and give both town staff and elected officials guidelines to follow, he said.

 

“It’s been discretionarily practiced by clerks, which should come to the board,” he said. “But the board should also have directives and instructions pursuant to a policy to say who they’re helping and who they’re not.”

 

Markham said the board could authorize clerks to grant water adjustments based on certain parameters in the policy. That would free up the board’s time but still give aldermen the chance to weigh in on unusual cases or situations outside what the clerks can handle.