Chula aldermen cancel, reissue water bills after billing discrepancies; clerk to hold commercial account

The Chula Board of Aldermen on Jan. 1 agreed to cancel existing water bills and reissue corrected statements after residents and staff flagged widespread discrepancies.

Mayor Cody Ireland said the council determined the city would cancel the current bills, have "Fred" perform actual meter readings and reissue bills by Jan. 10 with a notation that they are "revised." City Clerk Dawn Boyles said the reissued bills will replace the disputed amounts once staff confirms meter readings.

Tom Rowland, a resident who spoke during public comment, said he had a leak the previous month and asked for a credit for the sewer portion of his bill. Council members noted that an elevated current charge reflected "expected" usage given the earlier meter readings and that regenerating bills should resolve the discrepancy; the council did not record a separate, immediate credit decision for Rowland in the transcript.

Dan Murphy asked whether the Co-Op Fertilizer Plant's water service had been shut off, noting the account continued to incur minimum charges. City Clerk Dawn Boyles said she would address that account through the SUBS program and place it on hold while staff investigates the usage and billing.

A procedural motion to adjourn was made by Alderman Benny Simpson, seconded by Alderman Geremy Bru, and recorded as approved 3-0; the transcript does not specify which members cast the recorded votes. The meeting was recorded as ending at 5:56 p.m.

The board did not record any ordinance or formal policy changes during the meeting; the actions described above are operational directions to staff to review meter readings, regenerate bills by Jan. 10, and temporarily hold the specified commercial account pending review.