Frustrations boil over at Warsaw

The Warsaw town manager was appointed interim finance officer despite concerns about segregation of duties in financial oversight

WARSAW — Tensions flared at Warsaw’s town board meeting on Sept. 9 as residents aired grievances over rising water bills, murky tap water, and uneven recycling bin distribution — prompting town officials to defend  current practices while promising further investigation and follow-up.

Following a public hearing, as the board opened for public comment, Mayor A.J. Connors indicated that responses to citizen’s concerns would be provided during the town manager’s updates portion of the meeting or through direct call-backs at a later time. “She will get your telephone number and give you a call back after she investigates,” said Connors.

Multiple residents questioned the town’s utility billing and infrastructure, with Judy Carroll citing high water bills for small households and Marzella Morrisey alleging that water rate increases were implemented illegally before the start of the fiscal year. Morrisey claimed that only a small number of residents who directly complained were refunded. She also asked the board whether it is true that some businesses are removing their water meters and installing their own.

“Do citizens or other businesses such as Halls Funeral Home, DC Cats, Warsaw Hardware, just to name a few businesses, do they get to upgrade or change their water meters? And then if that’s the case, should the citizens change their water meters so they can get an accurate count?,” she asked.

Morrissey criticized the inconsistent distribution of recycling bins, noting that only select residents received new bins after the contract extension.

Marilyn Hann reported that rust-colored, dirty water gushing from her tap on Sept. 5. She told the board that after contacting the town clerk, she learned that a broken fire hydrant caused the incident.

“Later on, I got a voice message from you, and we didn’t even get a boiled water advisory.”

Tell me something. Where are we going with this?,” said Hann. “Because it’s ridiculous. And we still got to pay for water we cannot drink.”

In response, Town Manager Lea Turner explained that a 5% water rate increase took effect on July 1 as part of the approved budget, which was the reason behind the spike noticed by residents. She also addressed issues raised by Morrison and Hann.

Turner apologized for the water quality issues and delays in public communication, asking residents for patience.

“As soon as we were notified of the fire hydrant, we scheduled repairs,” said Turner.

“Be patient with us as we make emergency repairs and things like that. Because we don’t always have a heads up when we have to make these repairs in order to get the information out as quickly as we need to,” said Turner.

She also addressed concerns about recycling, noting that additional bins have been ordered and are currently awaiting delivery.

Commissioner Ebony Wills-Wells requested that Turner follow up with Morrisey to address her concerns about water meters and billing discrepancies, a commitment Turner confirmed she would fulfill.

In other business:

Connors recommended appointing Turner as the interim finance officer. Wills-Wells, however, raised concerns about due diligence. She requested to table the appointment to allow more time to research legal procedures, particularly in light of past audit concerns regarding the segregation of duties in financial oversight.

Wills-Wells emphasized that the agenda packet had only been shared on the Friday before the Monday meeting, leaving inadequate time for review. Additionally, she asked whether any other qualified town employees could temporarily fill the role.

The mayor and other board members responded that state law requires an immediate appointment and that the town manager is the most qualified individual, having previously served in the finance officer capacity. Despite pushback from Wills-Wells, the majority of the board agreed to proceed.

Turner also provided updates on town infrastructure, including delays in a proposed all-way stop near Friendly Mart due to staff turnover at ECC. Additional traffic and road projects, including improvements to Blackmore Road, are under review

Environmental compliance was another key issue, with Turner reporting that operations at the wastewater treatment plant had resumed and a new consulting firm had been hired to assist with pretreatment evaluations and source reduction strategies.

Mayor Connors closed the meeting by defending the quality of Warsaw’s water and attributing discoloration to temporary issues, such as hydrant repairs. He called for continued collaboration and a unified effort to represent the town in a positive light.