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Resident urges fixes to billing and customer access; reporter asks board to study South Muncie flooding
Summary
During public comment, resident Russell O'Neil told the board billing posting delays have caused delinquencies and urged moving customer service out of a secured entrance; reporter Rick Yenser urged a study of stormwater drainage in older South Muncie neighborhoods.
Two members of the public used the board’s three‑minute public comment period July 22 to press the Board of Sanitary Commissioners on service and infrastructure issues.
Russell O'Neil, who identified himself as a Muncie resident, said he has returned to the board previously about billing problems and praised recent improvements but said posting delays remain. "The posting seems to be delayed," O'Neil said, adding that delayed postings can push customers into delinquency. He also urged the board to move customer service out of the secured entry at city hall, saying the current security setup is intimidating for average customers.
O'Neil raised an additional concern about future infrastructure: "As we come into this issue with AI and we get into these data centers ... you certainly will have to deal with the discharge," he said, urging the board to plan for potential wastewater from data centers that might connect to the system.
Rick Yenser, who introduced himself as a newsman and author, urged the district to investigate flooding in South Muncie neighborhoods built in the 1930s and 1940s. "Some of those don't have any storm drainage at all," Yenser said, describing recent intense downpour events and urging a study to identify what could be done.
Chair acknowledged improvements in billing and thanked staff for recent community outreach events, but the transcript does not record a formal commitment to a specific study or changes to office access during the meeting. The public comment period was then closed and the board proceeded to its business agenda.
