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Gosnell-Dell sewer deal questioned
To the editor:
I am an ex-alderman and am familiar with most of the past happenings the city council had been involved in for the city of Gosnell. I advised our newly elected mayor, after he took office, to review the past agreement with the city of Dell concerning the treatment of their sewage. The city of Dell had applied to the State in the early 1990s to install a city sewer system, and the state would not give them permission to have a lagoon. They were advised to try to find a nearby city to treat their raw sewage. They approached the city of Blytheville and were turned down. They approached the city of Gosnell, and since Gosnell had just upgraded their system planning for future growth, they were able to help.
An agreement was worked out where the sewage would be metered. Dell would be responsible to install and maintain a meter. If the metering system did not work, which it did not, they then would pay a minimum of $550 each month. The agreement was for 15 years. It was attached and a part of the September 1994 city council meeting minutes.
Mayor Marshall checked on the Dell agreement in February 2011 and found it was outdated. The 15 years had passed and a new agreement had not been made. He also discovered that the metering system had not worked and Dell had been paying the city of Gosnell $500 a month instead of the required $550. One of the current members of the Gosnell City Council tried to claim it was a typographical error and $500 was the agreed cost. That member must remember the agreement was passed in September 1994 and the minutes with attached agreement of that meeting were approved as correct at the next scheduled meeting and signed by the mayor and city recorder.
I have asked and have been told that there is no way to collect the back fees. My questions are: How did the auditors miss this during their annual audits every year? Why are the mayor and city recorder/treasurer bonded? I also would like to know why it is taking so long to come up with a new agreement and to increase the minimum fee to cover the increase in cost over 17 years? In my book, 17 years at $50 a month amounts to $10,200 plus interest.
As of this date, no new agreement has been brought before the Gosnell City Council for their approval.