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Mayor chastised for handling of refund

By Wendy Ledbetter
Published Wednesday, January 24, 2007 in the Nevada County Picayune

Prescott Mayor Howard Taylor was chastised for his handling of a $2,000 refund to a city electric customer. The discussion was part of Tuesdays meeting of the Prescott City Council.

Several council members expressed concern over the way the city handled a refund that was intended to be returned to a customer as a credit on his electric bill. During the November meeting, council members voted to refund $2,000 to a Prescott resident who claimed to have been overcharged on his electric bill.

Customers of the citys electric company are charged one rate if the home has an electric water heater and a higher rate the water heater is gas. According to Rudy Preston, his stepson was never asked which category he fell into, but was charged the higher rate as a matter of course.

With at least one council member citing the fact that Prestons son is handicapped and its difficult for him to leave the house, the council voted to refund $2,000 - something less than the amount Preston estimated his stepson had been overcharged but a figure suggested by Preston.

Council member Jerry Wilson made a motion to grant $2,000 worth of credit to that customer. The council discussed the fact that the refund was to be used as a credit on the customers electric bill, until the credit was depleted.

However, Preston later confirmed that his stepson had received a check for $2,000. Following the councils December meeting, several council members said they knew nothing about the decision to pay the man a lump settlement.

Prescott Mayor Howard Taylor said at that time that it had simply been easier to make a lump payment, indicating that it was an accounting decision.

During the old business segment of Mondays meeting, Councilwoman Susie Meeks brought up the subject.

I want to know what happened, Meeks said.

City accountant Carl Dalrymple said he wasnt aware that the council had specified that the refund was to be a credit.

I was just asked if we could make a one-time payment, Dalrymple said.

Asked who made the request, Dalrymple confirmed that it was Taylor.

Councilman Jerry Wilson said he felt the directions of the council should have been followed. He said the fact that someone had gone against the vote of the council wasnt appropriate.

It makes us look bad, Wilson said.

Meeks said that she felt the council should have at least been informed of the change during the December meeting.

Well watch that more closely, Taylor said, though me made no other explanation of the reasoning behind the action.

In other electrical discussions, the Prescott City Manager Billy House said the new billing system should be in place in time for the February billing. Asked if customers would now have the option for levelized billing, he said the technical support person has one more scheduled visit to the city, and that he hopes training for levelized billing will be part of that session.

I think there is levelized billing, House said.

Wilson questioned the subject more closely, reminding the city manager that the option for levelized billing was part of the reason for selecting that particular system.

We passed it for it, Wilson said.

He was then assured that levelized billing is an option.

In other business, the council discussed the possibility of an ordinance to ban the burning of leaves within the city limit; asked the city attorney to draft an ordinance to change the time of meetings and to address attendance if a council person is to be paid; and passed the citys annual budget.


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