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Quorum Court OKs $23,963.97 payment to settle Petit Jean Electric underbilling
Summary
Van Buren Countyquorum court voted 8to1 to appropriate $23,963.97 to pay Petit Jean Electric for a three-year underbilling after attorneys said a three-year statute of limitations likely applies; the original demand covered about 18 years and exceeded $96,000.
The Quorum Court of Van Buren County voted to appropriate $23,963.97 to resolve an underbilling dispute with Petit Jean Electric, the countypresiding officer said. The court adopted the appropriation ordinance after a formal reading and roll-call vote that passed 8to1 (Bass opposed).
The presiding official told the court that Petit Jean initially billed the county roughly $96,000 covering an 18-year period after discovering a multiplier error on the courthouse meter. "The underbilling amount is $23,963.97," the presiding official said, summarizing the county's three-year exposure under applicable rules.
County Attorney Carol explained the legal path for disputes with a utility: "Under the PSC rules, you go to an administrative hearing at the Public Service Commission," she said, noting the PSC has a specific procedure for underbilling and that the three-year recovery figure aligns with the county's legal advice and past cases.
Several court members and residents objected to paying anything for an error they described as the utility's mistake, saying the larger 18-year demand was "ridiculous" and raised concerns about impacts on elderly ratepayers and whether individual customers had been similarly affected. Court members acknowledged those concerns but said the county has limited options and that litigation or an extended appeal would be costly and risk service interruptions during early voting and other statutory obligations.
The appropriation ordinance read into the record transfers $23,963.97 from the county reserve fund to the courthouse annex utilities line to pay Petit Jean Electric. The court recorded the ordinance identifier as 0202403 during final proceedings.
The ordinance passed on a roll-call vote: Holcomb, Nikki, Sarah, Phillips, Knight, John, Paige and Lemmings voted yes; Bass voted no. The county judge and counsel said the settlement was intended to resolve the issue under the Public Service Commission framework and avoid protracted litigation and potential service disruptions.
