BUCYRUS—The absence of councilman Kevin Myers from Thursday’s city council committee meetings left more questions than answers for landlords dealing with unpaid water bills.
An Ohio law allows municipalities to attach unpaid water bills to the property owner’s real estate taxes.
Bucyrus landlord Garry Harris returned to council last night to get answers on a large water bill assessed to his property taxes.
Councilman Kevin Myers, who was not present at last night’s meeting, (as promised) to give Harris an answer sparked an additional conversation about the practice by the city.
Harris spoke yet again to the Bucyrus City Council Service Committee about the water bill that was assessed to his real estate taxes. Harris came back expecting a decision about whether or not the city would remove the charges from his tax bill.
Harris told the committee two weeks ago that a bill for $558.63 was attached to his real estate taxes that go back to January 2020. The bill was excessive because it was accrued during the pandemic when federal law or prohibited Utility disconnection.
“It’s unfair that the city goes after us. It’s not my fault the city didn’t turn his water off.” Harris said.
Myers agreed with Harris and took the podium as a private citizen to tell council:
It’s a crummy law. It’s not his fault his tenant didn’t pay their bills. No other business operates this way. The city needs to take stronger measures to collect these bills rather than to just throw them on the taxes and forget it. The right thing to do is to reimburse him.” Myer’s said.
Myers asked Harris to return last night and promised he’d have a decision on the matter. Myers wanted to gather data to see if other landlords had experienced the same situation.
With Myers absence, the entire practice was debated.
Robert Earl of Bucyrus voiced his objection of the practice. Earl told council it’s a bad rule because the government has picked out a group of people and treats them differently.”Nobody else gets charged with a bill somebody else accrues.” Earl said.
The city loses as much as $100,000.00 annually to unpaid water bills. To that point, it was noted that because the city levies that money on the property owner, there is no further incentive for them to collect it.
Floyd Farmer of Bucyrus challenged Interim Law Director Brian Gernert on the legality of the liens.
“How can you arbitrarily transfer a bill from one person to another if they didn’t guarantee it? That wouldn’t fly in a court of law would it Mr. Law Director?” Farmer asked.
Gernert said while sympathetic to the plight of a landlord. The city cannot take huge hits like that in utilities.
“We have to work it out together. We have to be fair to all citizens.The city can’t take the burden. Until codes change, we’re stuck with this system.“ Gernert said.
Fred Fischer of Bucyrus reminded council that the city is a provider of a product or service. “The city has no right to do this. The landlord is not responsible. The city controls it.. shut it off.”
Council tabled the issue mostly because they are waiting for information that Kevin Myers was supposed to present.
Council was agreeable to revisiting the idea of eliminating the code that allows the city to attach water bills to real estate taxes. The issue was tabled in prior discussions due to potential ethical violations. At the time council was considering the action, a majority of members of council were also landlords. That is no longer the case.
Vicki Dishon addressed council and inquired about Myers being absence. She said it was regretful that Mr. Harris was asked specifically to return to this meeting for an answer only to be delayed again.