CLAYPOOL – Town council approved a total of $166,000 for state-mandated wastewater treatment plant upgrades during its meeting Monday. Council approved bids gathered and presented by Jones and Henry Engineers Ltd., after inspecting the plans during the meeting. Bids included $42,108 from All Star Manufacturing for the building itself and $124,815 from Beer and Slabaugh for foundation and underground work, such as pipes and chlorine tanks. All work is to be completed by April when the town begins chlorination at the treatment plant. “This keeps us in compliance until the next rules come down the pipe,” remarked council member Don Miller. Council also approved the 2014 budget Monday, with a total of $211,809. They remarked at the August meeting that this is the town’s first budget increase since 2009, worth about $60,000 over the total they’ve worked with every year since then. And council agreed to begin pursuing outstanding water bills totaling around $7,000. Clerk-treasurer Connie Morgan presented several pages of wastewater accounts with an outstanding balance, noting the total may approach $12,000 if water and sanitation fees are factored in. The stacks of accounts go back to 2005 and are held by people who no longer live in Claypool, and in some cases are associated with residences that no longer stand. Morgan said they were missed because previous clerks gave each customer who came in a new account number instead of making sure accounts were linked to property owners. She said only four of those accounts are elligible for liens to enforce payment, totaling $1,400; the rest will have to be tracked down through a collection agency. A few of the accounts still have deposits that could be collected, but at as little as $5 in some cases, the deposits won’t cover the overdue bills, she observed. Council President Niki Miller said some of the accounts can be collected on. “A few of these – I recognize their names and I know where they’re at,” she said. Council directed Morgan to find a collection agency the town could use.
