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Audit: County overpaid Aqua Ohio $36,000
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Paul Gains
Some of the money already has been repaid to the county.
YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County will see a slight influx of cash from overpayments made by the county to one company over a two-year period.
A routine audit of Mahoning County finances conducted by the Ohio State Auditor’s office determined that water supplier Aqua Ohio overbilled the county for services in 2007 and 2008 for more than $36,000. The company overbilled the county in 2007 by $12,295 and by $24,429 last year.
Aqua sells water in the county and is contracted to do the billing for sewer fees charged by the county to water customers. Those purchasing water from the company also pay sewer fees based on the amount of water they are using.
Don Duda, an assistant county prosecutor, said prosecutors have been working with the company to recoup the funds, and the company three weeks ago made a payment to the county to cover the 2007 overage.
The $24,429 overage paid to the company in 2008 is still outstanding, but Prosecutor Paul Gains said he is confident the money will be repaid in cash or in construction work and services to the county.
“We have been discussing this with Aqua, and Aqua has been very cooperative with us,” Gains said. “They were apparently, from what I can gather, interpreting the contract wrong.”
According to the state auditor’s findings, that misinterpretation of the contract is in how Aqua is to be paid for its services. The company is to be paid 6.9 percent of the amount it collects for the county, but it had been receiving 6.9 percent of the amount actually billed.
The state audit recommended the county review the contract with Aqua and assure that it recover any erroneously paid fees.
Gains said county officials have reviewed the contract with Aqua and are certain the problem has been rectified and will not be an issue this year.
He said the county and the company are now on the same page as to what is in the contract language.
“We take these things very seriously, and we have corrected it,” the prosecutor said. “We are going to collect any money owed.”
jgoodwin@vindy.com