Darlington City Council hears complaints on water bills

By: Dwight Dana | SCNOW
Published: October 07, 2009

Gracie Lyde wasn’t on the agenda for Darlington City Council’s Tuesday night meeting, but she had her water bill on her mind.

Lyde said her bill has gone up for the last three months while her neighbors have remained about the same.

She wanted some answers from the city governing body.

“I can’t understand why my water bill is so much higher than the rest of my neighbors,” she said. “I live alone, and Mr. Milton Stuckey, the plumber, says I don’t have any leaks.

“Let me put it as plainly as I can to you: Somebody ain’t reading something right somewhere. I want to know what is going on.”

Mayor Tony Watkins told Lyde that sewer, sanitation and capital improvements charges also are included in the monthly water bills.

But that didn’t pacify her because she said her neighbors’ water bills were still less than hers.

Watkins suggested that Lyde meet with the city water superintendent. He said he would help set up the meeting.

“I want to meet with him, too,” Mayor Pro Tem Coleman Cannon said. “I was out of town for two weeks, and my water bill went up from $44 to $80. Something’s not right here.”

In other action, Nancy Matthews of Carolina Waste Solutions stood in for CWS President Brian Bagwell. She gave a brief update on CWS’ plans for the city.

“We have completed an audit of the city’s books,” she said. “We have looked at billings to clients and cleaned up old accounts. We think we can save the city $18,000 a year just by cleaning up the books.”

Matthews said there were other ways CWS could save the city money. She said she hoped to have those plans in place by the November meeting.