BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Former Martin County Attorney Drewie Muncy has paid the Martin County Sanitation District a sewer bill for over 12 years but has never been hooked to the service.
Muncy told sewer board members in a meeting April 25 that he had made multiple requests to the district to connect the service to no avail.
“I keep getting the bill,” Muncy said. “And I send it in because of fear of my water being terminated for nonpayment. I don’t want that problem.”
Muncy said the sewer district initially told him there were not enough hookups. After several attempts to get service from the various people in the office throughout the last 12 years, he was ultimately instructed to go before the board.
“This goes back several years,” said Muncy.
“I’m not asking for a check because I’ve listened to the bills that have been called here, but I would like to have a credit for what I paid for my future sewer services. I’m asking that you give this due consideration, make an adjustment and do what is fair. That’s all I’m asking.”
Sanitation board member Nina McCoy asked Alliance Resources manager Craig Miller if the district could hook up service to Muncy’s property.
“The only work order that we have is the one where he requested – where he said he’s never been hooked up,” Miller replied. “From what we’ve seen, he can be put on the sewer system.”
According to Miller, a sewer crew inspected Muncy’s property and reported the district does not have a grinder pump on-site.
McCoy asked Muncy if he would like to be hooked up.
“I would first like to get an adjustment made,” said Muncy, adding that he had experienced the same problem getting water to the property where his daughter sometimes stays to keep from traveling. “Finally, I got the water hooked up.”
Muncy said that due to not being able to get his water meter for several years, after his son vacated a trailer on Muncy’s property, he hooked a line to the water meter that had served the trailer. He ran the line to a cabin for his daughter.
“I was not stealing the water,” said Muncy. “It was going through the meter at Doug’s house, but Mr. Miller – and some of the members here are aware of it – attempted to get a warrant and also before the grand jury to have me indicted for stealing the water. But there’s a basic principle that you cannot steal your water that you already paid for. Anyone knows that.”
Muncy said Miller’s attempt to “make me out as a thief” was embarrassing for him and his family.
“He went to the Commonwealth Attorney who basically said, ‘You cannot steal something that you’re paying for,’” added Muncy.
“I’m not here complaining about that. It’s just something that has been on my mind for a long time. I’m here in regards to the sanitation.”
Board chairperson Jimmy Don Kerr confirmed with Muncy that he had tried in the past but could not connect to the sewer system. He then advised Muncy that he would have to look at the contract that Muncy and the sewer district signed when the system was being installed. (Some sewer customers agreed to pay a minimum sewer bill in exchange for the sewer district installing taps, pumps and tanks at the district’s cost.)
“My assumption is that it says in that paperwork that if you take this, you have to pay a bill,” Kerr said. “That would be my assumption.”
Board member Greg Crum said the district should go ahead and remove Muncy from the sewer billing system so that he would not receive bills in the future.
McCoy asked Muncy if he would like to get hooked on.
“Not at this time,” said Muncy. “I want something to be taken care of where I’ve been charged for services not provided. For some reason I could not get any service, so right now I’m pretty fed up with it.”
Kerr advised Muncy to bring in a statement from the health department showing he has an approved private septic system to stop the sewer billing.
The chairman repeated that he could not give Muncy an answer about the money Muncy had already paid but would look at the contract and get back to him.
“Is that OK?” asked Kerr.
“No, for the simple reason that no service was provided by the sanitation district,” said Muncy, adding that there was always the threat of getting water service cut off if he did not pay the sewer bill.
Crum said the board should handle Muncy’s case in the same manner it handled “a dozen other cases” where customers who did not have service were removed from the billing system.
Board member BJ Slone agreed.
“If you’ve been paying for sewer and you don’t have sewer services, you shouldn’t have to pay,” Slone said.
The board voted in agreement.
Muncy said that decision was “fine for going forward” but not for the money he had paid.
“I feel like I’ve been given the runaround for a very long time,” said Muncy. “I’m not asking you to give me a check. We’re a bunch of citizens here that live in this county and put the county first. I’m part of the county and expect to be treated fairly. If I have overpaid somewhere, I expect to get it back, or if I shortchange someone, I expect to give them their money back to make it right.”