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Poseyville council agrees to tougher penalties for utility tampering, plans ordinance rewrite
Summary
After a recent meter‑pit tampering incident, the council agreed to rescind the town's original ordinance and replace it with an Infrastructure Tampering Ordinance outlining penalties of $500 plus parts and labor for a first offense and $2,000 plus parts and labor for a second offense; the president will draft the revised ordinance for attorney review.
Utility Superintendent Jeremy Farrar told the council that a recent meter pit tampering incident resulted in out‑of‑pocket costs and that the current ordinance does not adequately cover replacement or deter repeat offenders. Town Attorney William Bender advised the council to rescind the existing ordinance and replace it with a new Infrastructure Tampering Ordinance to address those deficiencies.
After discussion, the council agreed on a penalty structure intended to raise deterrence and cover replacement costs: a first offense would carry a $500 fine plus parts and labor, and a second offense would carry a $2,000 fine plus parts and labor. President Justin Rutledge agreed to revise the ordinance language and submit it to Attorney Bender for review; the revised ordinance will be presented for consideration at the February meeting.
The council did not formally introduce or read an ordinance during the Jan. 14 meeting; the action taken was agreement on penalty amounts and direction to draft revised language for a future agenda.
