Late fees on water bills to be waived
By Melinda L. Lucas
In a meeting where discussions ranged from COVID-19 practices to trash roll-offs, Albany city council members sat six feet apart at their temporary meeting place in the larger conference area at the Aztec Theater’s reception room, most wearing face masks.
Mayor pro tem Susan Montgomery told council members that she appreciated the “hard decisions” that they were having to make and urged them to continue to do what is best for the citizens of Albany.
“We are going through an unprecedented time, a time that we’ve never seen before and hopefully will never see again,” said Montgomery. “Because we took an oath to serve this community, we have to look far beyond our personal desires and preferences, and our decisions need to be for the betterment of this town.”
She commented that because the governor is the highest elected official in the state, the council needs to continue following the guidelines he is putting into place.
“I thank you for your dedication, and I want us to work together as a team,” she said. “Remember, you’re the calming voice in this chaos.”
Water Bills
City manager Billy Holson reported that he made the decision not to charge late fees for local residents who are having trouble paying their water bills because of the pandemic.
He added that the usual utility cut-off for those who haven’t paid is also being waived.
“A lot of people have lost their jobs and all or part of their incomes,” Holson said. “I don’t feel comfortable sending someone out to cut the water off when they don’t have any way of paying it right now.”
Extensions will be decided on an individual basis, with terms of payment worked out at a later date.
“I’m not going to let anyone take advantage of the city, but I want to work with people as much as I can,” Holson continued. “We will eventually make payment plans for those who get behind.”
The city manager also suggested that water bills be suspended for business owners who have been forced to shut down because of shelter-in-place orders.
“By saying they’re not essential, we’ve forced them to close,” said Holson. “They’re not going to be using water while they’re closed, but I don’t feel right even charging them the minimum.”
Trash and sewer charges are included on the water bill and will be waived.
Council members agreed with the decision.
House Tear-downs
Holson reported that another uninhabitable structure is being added to the list of six structures demolished in the last year and a half.
“This project is not by city order, but with the cooperation and consent of the property owners,” he said.
The city hires a local contractor to demolish the structures.
“Kerry Kirby has done a good job, and he doesn’t charge for some of his work,” said Holson. “We use some on the free roll-offs that Republic provides to haul off the debris.”
Year-end Financials
Holson reviewed the March 31 financial summary, which finishes the 2019-2020 fiscal year for the city, stating that he was pleased with the year-end figures.
“We ended up in the black and had a really good year financially,” said the city manager. “The bottom line number you’re seeing is misleading because of restricted donated funds, but there should be about $60,000 in our general accounts for the year.”
Other Business
•Randall Palmore was approved to serve another two years as one of two Albany representatives on the West Central Texas Municipal Water District board.
•Montgomery said that the decision had been made not to establish a Facebook page for the city, with more details provided in a separate COVID-19 update on page one of this issue.
