Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety waived a wastewater fee for a four-apartment building on East Fort Wayne Street Friday. The board approved waiving a $4,590.80 wastewater bill for Hugo and Sarah Pedrozo who own property at 504 E. Fort Wayne St. The board also approved for the couple to be billed from here on out for the property as having four apartments, instead of two. The city’s records did not indicate that the building had four apartments. It was listed as having two apartments. The Pedrozos owed the amount for two apartments that were not billed for wastewater services. Board member Charlie Smith made the motion to waive the wastewater bill, seconded by board member Jeff Grose. The Pedrozos did not attend Friday’s meeting. Brian Davidson, Warsaw Wastewater Utility facility manager, said the Pedrozos purchased the apartment complex as a four-unit apartment, but the city has always billed it as a two-unit apartment.Davidson said the county had the building listed as only a three-unit apartment. “This property has had a lot of confusion with it obviously,” Davidson said. Davidson said the couple has always paid their wastewater bill on time for the two units, and were not aware they needed to pay more money. The Pedrozos, in a letter to the city, said they would be willing to pay for the wastewater bill for the unpaid four-unit property over time. Jeremy Skinner, city planner, said when the couple purchased the property they were not clear on how many units were a part of the building. Skinner said the couple is using a single sewer tap with multiple users and there is not a sewer meter for the property. Davidson said it has been a joint effort between the building and planning office and wastewater office to get the records for the property cleared up. Smith said the city should be consistent and fair in charging wastewater bills. Thallemer said it shows good faith that the couple has paid their wastewater bill on time and the proper amount of what they believed they owed. “It seems like in that case it may be fair to just, from this point forward, bill as four units,” Thallemer said. Thallemer said he felt the city is at a disadvantage on the property not having sewer meters and separate sewer taps for the four-apartment buildings. Grose said the city likes to give the benefit of the doubt to citizens when they are paying their bill on time. “I don’t want anyone to be let off the hook, but I think it is our responsibility to bill what should be billed and if we find out we have not been doing that at our end then we need to clean that up,” Grose said In other business, the board approved a request from Davidson to get quotes to do sewer line work at the wastewater plant at 794 W. Center St.
