Tipton Utility Service Board approves minutes, pays claims and accepts charge-offs

The Tipton Utility Service Board met Dec. 15 and approved the minutes from its previous meeting before voting to pay claims and accept a charge-off report.

Board action: Speaker 2 moved to approve the minutes as submitted; the motion passed by voice vote. Speaker 5 moved to pay claims as read into the record; Speaker 2 seconded and the board approved that payment by voice vote. The transcript of the motion lists numeric figures in-line with the ledger read aloud; the formatting in the record is unclear, but the amount read included “69,009.78.” (Transcript formatting of the claims motion was not precise.)

Charge-offs: Speaker 4 presented the charge-off report and described the utility’s largest delinquent account as a recurring problem customer and the second-largest as belonging to a customer who died years earlier. "Her sister or daughter moved in and was making payments, and she passed away," Speaker 4 said while summarizing the account history. Staff reported the delinquent list has been reduced to three pages after recent write-offs and said collection efforts remain ongoing.

Legal options discussed: Board members asked whether the utility can make claims against estates; Speaker 4 said he had asked the city attorney and would consult Mr. Quigley on next steps. He also said he had considered pursuing the largest delinquent through small-claims court but warned collection after a judgment is uncertain.

The board voted to accept the charge-off report after a motion by Speaker 5 and a second by Speaker 2.

Next steps: Staff will continue collections work and follow up with the city attorney and Mr. Quigley on estate and small-claims options. The board set its next meeting for Jan. 5, 2026.