By Jordan Cohen

news@vindy.com

NILES

For years city service directors have arbitrarily discounted sewer bills for certain residents for a variety of reasons, not all of which may have been due to improper billing. Now council wants the practice stopped.

“This is a scandal if you’re asking me,” said Councilman Ryan McNaughton, D-at large.

Ed Stredney, appointed service director this year after the firing of his predecessor James DePasquale, said he has no intention of continuing the discounts.

“Under no circumstances should we discount utility bills,” Stredney said. “If city council wants to reduce a utility bill, it can do so.”

Law Director Terry Swauger said based on language in a city ordinance, the practice, though questionable, may not be illegal.

“The ordinance authorizes service directors to set sewer rates, but it doesn’t say anything that permits or prohibits [individual] discounts,” he said.

Stredney told council every director’s change was documented each time a bill was discounted. He said he does not know how much money the city lost from the practice, but was willing to provide a report to council based on the documentation.

“I can go back five or 10 years if you like,” he said.

“Where are the city institutional controls?” asked Robert Marino, council president. Minutes before Stredney’s comments, an angry Marino blasted the operations of the billing office in general and its director Stephanie Ford in particular for “billing errors.”

Ford, in response to a question from Marino at a council meeting earlier this month said everything was “very good” in the office.

Wednesday night, Marino wasn’t buying it.

“The comedy of errors in that office is nauseating,” he said. “Folks need to be held accountable.”

Ford did not attend Wednesday’s council meeting.

Ironically the issue arose before council’s vote to impose a $25 flat fee on approximately 100 homes in Weathersfield Township. Stredney told The Vindicator last week that for 67 months, the fee was omitted from the homeowners’ sewer bills because it did not carry over when the software billing program was changed. The omission was eventually discovered by an employee.

The city lost more than $167,000 as a result. Stredney said he does not believe Niles will seek recovery from the homeowners, who each saved $1,700 because of the city’s mistake.