How Gold Water Happened

HOW GOLD WATER HAPPENDED

By Ken Bonnell
The Weekly Recorder
May 2, 2008

The Weekly Recorder has obtained copies of the 1994 Water Agreement between Amwell Township and the Trinity School District, 1995 budget and the 2008 budget.

In the agreement, there are several issues that have been either not enforced or neglected by both sides.

Under section 9, for example, it clearly states that all tap in fees be paid to the Trinity School District and to be used to help pay off the $550,000 debt that the Authority owes the district.

The Recorder asked the authority if this has happened but the authority appeared not to know. When the Recorder contacted Dr. Thomas Turnbaugh if the District had received the tap in fees, he stated “That the district has no record of any money received, the agreement is worded that the fees are paid
promptly.”

Under Section 16 of the agreement the Amwell supervisors have the right to appoint members to the Authority with two members to be members recommended by the School District, this has not been done.

From 2004 to the middle of 2006 the residents that were tapped into the water line did not receive a bill, nor were their meters read. Finally massive bills ranging from $2,700 to $3,000 were sent to these residents after it was uncovered that they were not billed. But when some residents contacted authority chairman Richard Bishop, he informed them that the bills would be waived.

We contacted Bishop and he confirmed that the bills were waived. Bishop informed us that the authority had a total breakdown through the 2006 period. He also stated that the authority missed having quorums at many meetings. In response, he tried evening meetings to get members to attend and even that did not work. Shockingly, Bishop informed us that even the ledger was not kept up to date and that was not the only problem.

According to the 1995 budget, the school district used 50,000 gallons of water per month and the five houses used a total of 15,000 gallons per month. Now remember that the school district enrollment has dropped significantly since 1995.

In 2008 the budget has 19 homes with an average of 3,000 gallons per month. In spite of fewer students then in 1995, the budget for water at Trinity South has gone up 15,000 gallons per month.

One question that needs answered is that the budget is for $47,262. But Trinity is paying $4,500 a month alone. That alone equals $54,000 with no resident meters accounted. Why?

Another question that needs answered is the meter charges of $3,206.50 per month to Trinity. That is almost $2,000 more than the actual water costs in the budget.

None of the three groups with power in this situation have acted. Not the Trinity school district, Amwell Township or the Amwell authority.

Trinity had appointed two representatives at different times. Gerald Chambers and Dennis McWreath were to serve on the Authority, but where they were approved as required by the agreement hasn’t been found.

The past board of supervisors in Amwell Township should have acted whenever they became aware of the problems in management of the water authority.

The authority should have taken steps to get help, rather than allow the total breakdown of the system.
Now the situation needs fixed immediately rather than the taxpayers of the district continue to pay the excessive water bills that have been generated.

We would like to thank Mr. Bishop and the Amwell Water Authority for their cooperation in obtaining documents and also Dr. Turnbaugh for his response on the tap in fees.