While I’ve never claimed to be a rocket scientist, I tend to try and find bottom lines or make sense of things that seem bogus and out of proportion.
After reading through all the documents and paperwork concerning the litigation between the City of Senatobia versus a house of worship’s water bill inside the city limits, I’m scratching my head at how we ended up here.
Let’s get some things sorted out here. Balancing a budget to serve more than eight thousand residents isn’t an easy task. There are different residents and departments constantly begging for a “share of the dough”. Federal and state governments step in and require audits to ensure everything is fair to the taxpayers. This means that every bit of income or expenses of a city government must be accounted for and reconciled on the books.
Click on Title To Read Document
It can be a challenging task, and some municipal governments develop a series of policy’s on which to rely if questions ever come up.
One of these such policies governs and is found in Senatobia’s Utilities Department concerning a formula on water usage and sewer fees.
Now let’s paint the story so everyone can “picture it in their head.”
Upon the Church of Christ’s founding back in the early 1900’s the church had a meter located on Gilmore Street in Senatobia. This meter monitored the amount of water flowing into the site for nearly 80 years when a new wing of the church was established in 1985. At this time a second meter was installed, and the two accounts were paid by the church separately for roughly four decades without incident.
According to reports, on January 31, of this year, Senatobia’s Public Works Department reached out to former Senatobia Alderman Michael Cathey, who also served and continues to serve as pastor of the church, to inform him a leak had been detected on the church’s side of the land near the older portion of the church. Cathey met with David Estep who represented the City of Senatobia later that afternoon at the church. Estep told Cathey, “There was a leak on the church side of the meter under the sidewalk” and water services were turned off so the church could locate a plumber to address issues. Cathey claims the ground was dry and no water was standing on the ground or the near streets.
Officials with the city claim water was in the street.
In February, the church received two typical bills from the city’s utilities department. One for the older portion, from which the leak was possible, and a second bill for the newer part of the church. The bill from the older portion of the church showed a billing date from 12/18/2024 though 01/26/2024.
Since the older portion of the Church of Christ was not used for church services the water remained off until repair services were able to fix a leak found under the old site instead of under the sidewalk as initially thought. Water services remained unaffected to the newer wing of the church. Cathey claims that since that portion of the church wasn’t used, the water was cut off inside to avoid leaks. Therefore, it was impossible for water from the portion to enter the sewer systems of the city.
On March 5, the church received a bill for the older portion of the church in the amount of $1,894.93. The city charged $548.11 for water, and the sewer amount was $1,308.45 as determined by the formula. The bill’s due date was March 10 and reflected a billing date of 1/26/2024 through 02/21/2024. However, the city had turned off the water usage on January 31 when the leak was found.
The tale, I think, gets more interesting when one looks at the numbers on the bills themselves. The bill for the older portion of the church showed readings of usage for the month at 19,650 gallons monthly from September 30, 2023 until January 26, 2024, when it jumped to 21,520. And curiously, the meter readings stayed at 19,656 from March 31, 2023 until September when it curiously dropped to 19,560.
During this timeframe the newer meter and church weren’t affected.
Now, if memory serves me correctly, I recall a few city employees patting the pavement and turning the corners in search of new jobs during this timeframe. I seem to recall the city unveiling several new employment policies around this time as well.
Well to make a much longer story slightly shorter, Cathey approached the mayor, different aldermen, the city clerk, the public works director and Senatobia’s Utility Department supervisor prior to his eventual appearance before the Board in a May 2024 Aldermen meeting. Cathey was continuing to ask for an adjustment on the church’s bill. He explained the church still questioned the usage of 187,000 gallons of water in five days, but admitted a leak was found under the church. So the church was asking for an adjustment only on the $1,300 concerning the sewer usage.
Meeting minutes reflect no action was taken by the city.
Since then, court orders and lawsuits have been issued concerning the matter. What is important to note here is that church has continued to pay any bills concerning usage with the exception of the disputed 187,000 gallons.
In September 2024, the city closed the older account at the church and moved the balance of the bill to the account of the newer portion of the church. City officials eventually turned the water off at the newer side of the church. Through a series of phone calls, it was negotiated that if the church would pay $315, the water would be turned back on for the newer part of the church. The money was paid and utilities resumed until Wheeler & Franks Law Firm, P.C. were retained to represent the church.
The City of Senatobia was served on October 15. By Oct. 23, the city turned off the water again. The origanal meter at the older location has been replaced and removed altogether during this ordeal.
In fact, for nearly a month now, the 100-member church congregation has met every Sunday at the building with no running water with which to wash their hands. The members huddle in a beautiful pale pink worship room with no gas heat provided. But they meet there anyway on the Sabbath and weeknight services.
Something is not right that our Five Star City can play the role of Ebenezer Scrooge by denying a church heat during which is supposed to be the happiest time of the year. (Or among the most holy or gratuitous seasons at least.)
I’ll say that I absolutely DO NOT see 187,000 gallons of water being used in five days. I think the fault is more with city employees not reliably checking the meters for months prior to the incident. I would think there may have been a faulty meter involved. I would think the church leak might have been going on for months unnoticed causing the increase. I would think the city board would be more understanding and adjust the bill of church. I would think all of this could have been handled differently.
Again, I get why the city is not wanting to assume fault here. It might cause a lot of people to look back at bills in this time frame and bring up discrepancies. I think the city might have approached a delicate situation and made tough decisions concerning personnel. I think bigger things were at play, but still, is it worth all this?
When did the Five Star City make the decision to allow children and elderly members of a congregation attend Sunday worship in an unheated room with no water?
To this day, the church has paid all current billing periods with the exception of the 187,000 gallons of water.
I’ve been at a City of Senatobia Board of Alderman meeting when a private resident appeared before the board to ask for an easement on the sewer charges because the resident had filled his swimming pool. When he’d drained the pool, he drained all the water into nearby fields. His argument was that no water entered the city’s sewer system.
I believe the Board made a tough decision of allowing only $100 deducted from the resident’s bill per the City’s adopted policy. To be honest, I don’t think he was happy, but I’m not sure the B oard was happy either.
I get that every situation and appeal will be different and come with unique aspects. Individual and business dealings are separate, and each adjustment fairly accessed.
Private landowners have every right to approach the men elected to serve them. Those elected have every right to review findings and policies to make the most informed decisions regarding the populous.
I just don’t see how we let a $1,300 sewer bill get to this point. Just a few streets away from the unheated, waterless church stands a 27-foot glowing Christmas tree Senatobia taxpayers bought for the season.
