OIL CITY, Pa. (EYT) — Billing for water, sewage and garbage of rentals in Oil City will go to the landlords instead of the tenants starting in early 2018.
Despite protests by Oil City landlords at a pair of public meetings early this summer, Oil City Council went ahead with the plan at Thursday’s meeting.
“There was no constructive criticism from them,” City manager Mark Schroyer said. “They just don’t want to change.”
The general consensus of the council is that the city is not a collection agency and landlords should make sure their tenants can pay the bill.
“The landlords should screen tenants and know if they can pay the bill,” Oil City mayor Bill Moon said.
Councilman Dale Massie said he didn’t understand all the angst over what is a normal procedure in most cities.
According to Schroyer, the transfer of the bills to the landlords would take place hopefully Feb. 1, 2018.
“We will send out official letters to tenants and landlords letting them know a specific date that those services need to be transferred into the landlord’s’ names.”
Landlords will not be responsible for delinquent bills of tenants prior to that point other than what they normally would be responsible for.
“We aren’t a charity,” Schroyer said. “We need to run the city like a business. People want us to run it like a business until it affects them directly.”
ARCADIS VP ADDRESS CONCERNS
Arcadis Vice-President Thomas Hartwig addressed the council about concerns council had over some costs associated with engineering work that Arcadis has done for the city.
At the Aug 24 meeting, the council was concerned a proposed amendment to a contract with Arcadis for the work being done on the Central and Zemke Booster Stations.
In airing those concerns in August, council members brought up a cost of an additional $14,000 on a project at the Oliver Station Pump project that occurred when Arcadis originally believed the electricity was a 480-volt system instead of the 240-volt system it turned out to be.
Arcadis, at the time, and again through Hartwig Thursday, contended the issue stemmed in part from the fact there was no “as-built” system information and they had to go by what the city employees at the station believed to be the voltage.
“Ninety-eight to 99 percent of the jobs we do have as-built material available,” Hartwig explained. “In the case of the Oliver Manor project that wasn’t the case. Be as it may, the numbers are the numbers.”
Prior to explaining the as-built issue, Hartwig offered an apology to the council.
“Our apology if you were disappointed in the Oliver Station Pump Project,” Hartwig said.
Councilman Michael Poff seemed the most perplexed by what he believed was Arcadis blaming city employees for a mistake they made.
Hartwig disagreed and said it isn’t unusual for the company to use the knowledge of workers with 30-plus years of experience at a project if the as-built specifications are not available.
He then went on to point out Arcadis’ track record of success including being contracted to help with the much-publicized water issues in Flint, Michigan, as well as the more recent issues in the City of Pittsburgh.
“All I can do is promise not to disappoint you again,” Hartwig said.
Councilman Ron Gustafson said he was disappointed that considering the money Arcadis was being paid for engineering services they hadn’t done a simple voltage test at the project but at the same time acknowledged the city would also continue to do business with the company.
“We have spent millions of dollars with your company,” Gustafson said. “But we have a duty to be watchful. It would have been a nice gesture if you had offered to pay half that $14,000. But we will probably continue to spend money with you. We are too far along in the project.”
Later in the meeting, the council agreed to the engineering services contract amendment with Arcadis for the Central and Zemke booster stations.
THREE-YEAR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN APPROVED
The council approved a three-year community development plan as it is required to do by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
The basics of the plan call for the demolition of deteriorated structures in the short term as well as a new fire department truck and street and curb ADA improvements.
The long-term (two to three years) included continued demolition of deteriorated structures, improvement of rental properties and home and exterior rehabilitation programs as well as street and curb improvements, water, sewer and storm water system improvements, handicapped access improvements, recreation improvements, various health and safety project, new fire department equipment, commercial revitalization projects, adaptive reuse of underutilized and abandoned commercial and industrial sites and to cooperate with other Venango County entities to attract developers to the area.