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Resident repeatedly urges city to produce records, alleges discrimination and unpaid sewer reimbursement
Summary
Resident George Chachas used public comment at the Feb. 26 council meeting to press for public records, allege selective enforcement of codes and discrimination, ask about a new building at 292 Aultman, request documentation for a Bell Avenue sewer project, and say the city owes him $26,356.62 for a sewer repair.
During two public-comment opportunities at the Feb. 26 Ely City Council meeting, resident George Chachas raised a series of concerns about city transparency, code enforcement and property impacts.
Chachas said he has not received responses to his prior public-records requests and accused staff and council of selectively enforcing Nevada Open Meeting Law obligations. He questioned whether a recently constructed building at 292 Aultman is a storage or commercial structure and asked whether a proper foundation was installed. Chachas said the city has not reimbursed him $26,356.62 (including penalties and interest) for curing a sewer problem at 681 Parker Avenue that he said was on the city line, not his property, and he asked who authorized a sewer connection at 785 Bell Avenue. In the second comment period he also asked for a copy of a Nevada Northern Railway audit report, questioned authorization for a six-foot metal fence on the 1200 block of Mill Street, and asked whether individuals on a nearby highway had connected to city water and sewer per NRS.
The meeting record does not include a direct response from council or staff that resolved these requests; City Engineer Almberg offered to provide GIS files for the road-certification item but did not address all of Chachas's allegations on the record. Chachas asked that the city submit full road-inventory data to NDOT where required.
Status: These are public allegations and information requests recorded in the meeting minutes. The council did not record a formal staff response at the Feb. 26 meeting resolving the matters Chachas raised; several of his requests are pending or described as "not specified" in the meeting record.
