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SIDNEY - Sidney Town Council discussed transitioning the responsibilities of tracking sewer payables and receivables from Clerk-Treasurer Lisa Parrett to Gemini Billing Services at a meeting Monday, Oct. 12.
Council member Sharon Rancourt presented the option to the rest of the council members, prompting a discussion about whether utilizing the company was necessary.
Council President Gavin Parrett stated, “Other than to limit what (Lisa Parrett’s) responsibilities are, I’m not really certain what the point of it is.” He expressed his concern with moving the billing out of house.
In response, Rancourt told Gavin Parrett she has “asked for a report for one year” and has received “no information.”
“At this point, we have no idea where the sewer is at, we have no idea what revenue we’ve lost, we have no idea what liens have been filed, we have too many uncertainties and too many broken promises of when data was going to be provided,” Rancourt said. “A town is a business, and it is currently not being run like a business, so we have to be forward-thinking enough that, if we’re putting this town in jeopardy or the sewer system in jeopardy, which is our only asset, then we need to have this discussion.”
Rancourt addressed Gavin Parrett, explaining she thought he should recuse himself from the decision because he has “a personal interest in this.”
Rancourt explained the town of Sidney used Gemini Billing Services approximately six years ago, when the company managed the billing and payables. The company handled sending out late notices, took care of checks and billed residents automatically through bank accounts or stored credit card information.
The cost for the service is $1,000 per month. Additionally, Rancourt said because there is no information on the payment gateway going back through 2025, Gemini will have to be hired at an hourly rate to collect that information on top of the monthly payment. Currently, the council pays $600 per month to manage sewer billing.
Lisa Parrett stated the information is available, but it has not been uploaded yet.
Rancourt asked the clerk-treasurer how many liens had been filed and late notices sent out this year. Lisa Parrett stated she was “not certain” how many liens had been filed and that “not very many” notices had been sent out.
“So, that’s lost revenue for the town,” Rancourt explained. “Is that not a fair statement? … I’m not trying to be confrontational. We have a business to run, so, in order to maintain this business and make sure this town stays solid, we have to do our job and do our paperwork.”
Rancourt shared further information about Gemini Billing Services, stating the company handles Turkey Creek’s and Wabash’s sewer billing and provides monthly automatic reporting to the payment gateway.
“I mean, if we’re losing money because we’re behind on payments, then the automated system makes sense to me,” said Council member Josie Risner. “(Lisa Parrett's) already got enough on her plate. She’s dealing with getting all this stuff … so why not make her job a little easier?”
After further discussion, the council passed a motion to utilize Gemini Billing Services on a monthly basis, with a cap of $2,500 for the additional hourly work required to retrieve past data.
In other business:
• Kosciusko County Community Coordinator Amy Roe shared with the council that GameTime’s Community Champions Playground Grant and a Zimmer Biomet grant, applied for through the Kosciusko County Community Foundation on behalf of Sidney, were awarded for the construction of the park project.
Roe also stated that, with funding being phased out and based on community survey results, a basketball court will not be built at this time. Additionally, a smaller sign will be built instead of an archway. In response to Rancourt asking how the decision was made, Roe explained the community survey revealed the “playground was a higher value” to the community.
• The council reviewed ordinances discussed at previous meetings and approved sections of Pierceton’s example, as well as the inclusion of the Indiana Code’s universal language defining a golf cart.
• Kosciusko County Councilman Will Stockdale asked the council what was causing delays in uploading the 2025 audits. Gavin Parrett explained a computer malfunction caused some file corruption, which is causing the delay in uploading.
• The Town Clean-Up Day “went fairly well,” Gavin Parrett said. He stated he was there for “about a third of it” and that, by the time he left, two of the dumpsters were “basically full.” Rancourt stated she also thought the event went “fine” and that she gave resident Eric Adams permission to drop off additional items throughout the weekend.
