Princeton residents complain about water bills
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on August 3, 2005 1:46 PM
PRINCETON -- Two residents, Tracey Fields and Marvin Woodard, who live just outside of the Princeton town limits, think their water bills are too high.
Fields and Woodard voiced their complaints during Monday night's monthly town board meeting in the Community Building. Both live west of town.
Princeton charges out-of-town customers 1.5 times as much as in-town customers. Fields and Woodard say they are on a Johnston County water line. The county rate is less than the out-of-town rate.
Mayor Don Rains explained the town's position, saying the lines and the water meter are Princeton's, not the county's, property.
Fields countered that because the water comes from a county well, he should have the same rights as county water customers.
"I'm not trying to get something for nothing," Woodard said. "We just want to be treated fairly."
Rains asked Commissioner Larry Withrow to investigate the matter and report back during the Sept. 6 meeting.
Also at the meeting, Town Clerk Marla Ashworth, who will be going on maternity leave, swore in her temporary replacement, Kay Earp, who was promoted to the new position of assistant town clerk. She had been the billing clerk.
In other business, the board:
*Authorized Police Chief Eddie Lewis to take action against the property owner at 401 W. First St., where, he said, the lot is "severely out of compliance" with the town's noxious weeds ordinance. The landowner lives in Indiana.
*Approved mutual aid agreements with the Pine Level and Smithfield police departments and the Johnston County Sheriff's Office.
*Proclaimed Aug. 21 as Princeton School Prayer Walk Day.
*Agreed to a $7,500 annual contract with the town's auditor, Keith Peedin of Smithfield.
*Met in closed session to discuss the hiring of a new town employee but took no action.