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La Porte board approves $1,432.11 utility billing write‑off tied to misrouted suspended account
Summary
Utility billing staff reported a long‑standing suspended billing error that assigned charges to the wrong occupant; the board approved writing off $1,432.11 in non‑water suspended charges for the parcel adjacent to the Spectrum site.
The Board of Public Works approved a request from utility billing staff to write off $1,432.11 in suspended charges attributed to a parcel listed in the city's billing system as 118 Park Street but actually recorded as 124 Park Street and owned by Brad and Kathy Aake until March 2023.
Utility billing staff (identified in the meeting as Emmanuel) told the board the error dates to 2013 when a renter was recorded as the property owner and billing was not properly vetted. The balance in question is for suspended charges that the city described as trash, stormwater, public fire, and street maintenance fees — not water or wastewater meter usage. Staff said water service has been off at the property since 2013 and that the state now owns one of the parcels (ownership changed in March 2023).
Emmanuel said staff confirmed trash service and suspension details with the waste management contractor and that standard write‑off controls and improved vetting procedures are now in place to prevent similar errors. The board voted to approve the $1,432.11 write‑off.
Provenance: Topic intro: utility billing presentation at 09:22:28 (transcript excerpt: "...we discovered that there is a parcel. It's 118 Park Street in our system, but it's actually 124 Park."). Topic finish: board approval at 09:28:xx (transcript excerpt: "All in favor? Aye. Aye. Motion passes.").
