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Council reduces water/sewer bill for local business after leak; vote 4-0-1
Summary
Council voted 4-0-1 on March 11 to adjust Eric Liddell’s water and sewer invoice to his historical average after a multi‑day leak that discharged to a nearby creek; the sewer portion was removed and the adjusted total was $141.70.
The Cloverdale City Council approved a billing adjustment for Eric Liddell, owner of Eric's Performance Transmission, after reviewing a request to reduce a $1,800 water and sewer invoice that resulted from a multi‑day leak in January.
Staff said the pipe on Liddell’s property was leaking for several days and that the water ran into an adjacent creek rather than the sewer system. Liddell told the council he discovered and fixed the break promptly upon returning to work. Staff also noted the city’s automatic-detection system is intended to alert customers to unusual usage but may not have triggered because the meter reader was on vacation.
Council debate considered three options: deny the request and place the resident on a payment plan, credit the sewer portion back to the historical average, or fully adjust the bill to the customer’s historic average usage. Several council members favored adjusting the sewer charge and ultimately backed a motion to set the bill at the historical average water and sewer total of $141.70. One councilmember abstained from the vote; the motion passed 4–0–1.
Next steps: the clerk and finance staff will apply the historical average adjustment to the account as directed by the council.
