E.L. Robinson Engineering Business Manager Bob Allen, a consultant for the village, talks to Cadiz Village Council on Thursday about pending projects in the village. T-L Photo/CARRI GRAHAM

CADIZ — The water billing system installed in Cadiz late last year appears to not be charging the correct amount to some customers, but the village is working to fix the issue.

During Thursday’s council meeting, E.L. Robinson Engineering Business Manager Bob Allen, a consultant for the village, said there is a discrepancy in the village’s water billing service.

“The way your billing is, you charge so much per 1,000 gallons for a debt service charge, and what we should be able to do is just take the total amount of water sold, divide it by 1,000 to get the 1,000-gallon quantity and multiply it by the debt service charge and that should give you the service revenues. It’s not calculating it that way,” he said.

Allen said it does not appear the village is collecting the amount it is entitled to collect. He noted this does not mean a change in rate, it only means once it is corrected the village will collect the correct amount based on the billing structure.

“The amount will not change. We don’t know which customers are not being charged properly. It appears they are either not being charged, there’s a discount or the water is going somewhere that it’s in your consumption report but we haven’t figured that out,” he said. “… Once we identify that, we’ll correct it in the billing software so that everybody should be charged the appropriate amount and if they’re not paying the full amount then they will have to pay that, but it’s not an increase of any kind, it’s just identifying the discrepancy.”

Allen said they are working with the software company to identify the discrepancy in the billing.

Allen also discussed the estimated $10.6 million South and Center Collection Systems Lines project. He said the project has gone out to bid with a bid opening set for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at the municipal building.

The two-phase project includes the replacement of sewer lines on the South and Center lines, and on the North Trunk lines. The first phase, estimated at more than $6 million, is funded by a $3 million Ohio Environmental Protection Agency grant and the remainder by a forgiveness loan.

For the second phase, the North Trunk lines, the village has secured a $915,000 grant through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a $250,000 Appalachian Regional Commission grant. Allen said they are working to secure the remaining funds through the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

In other matters, Mayor John Migliore said he spoke to American Electric Power about an upcoming power outage slated for Oct. 24. The Unionvale Substation will temporarily close down from noon to 7 p.m., leaving half the village without electricity during that time frame.

He said a message has been sent out to affected residents to make them aware of the temporary outage.

“I just want people to know that it’s going to happen and it’s going to affect half the town, but it’s not going to affect the courthouse or the red light,” he said.

Migliore also brought up to council the need for a siren to alert residents when tornado warnings are issued. Thursday’s warnings prompted the discussion.

Councilman John Vermillion noted that the village does not own a siren; the fire department does. However, the siren is undergoing repairs and will be put back into its original location at the courthouse in the coming months. He added that they cannot hang it until the Harrison County Sheriff’s 911 dispatch is fully moved into its new facility at the armory due to the location of the siren and it sounding into the dispatch office.