Shenandoah is trying to get back at least some of the $844,809 it says it’s owned on delinquent trash, sewer, and water bills.
On Monday, the borough agreed to sign on with Portnoff Law Associates, an Allentown collection agency, in an attempt to recoup those funds owed to it.
Council President Joe Boris says the borough’s Finance Committee recently met with Portnoff to discuss having the firm go after those who are delinquent on these bills.
He said he believed it’s his duty to let residents know what they’re getting for their tax dollars as the reason he investigated these delinquencies.
“It ain’t much,” Boris said.
After that meeting with Portnoff, Boris realized, “The amounts are off the charts.”
This is what the borough has come to realize when it comes to delinquencies on these three services:
- Trash: $385,931
- Sewer: $289,308
- Water: $169,570
Boris did get specific with a bill, noting that one person’s delinquent water bill is $3,595.
He added that he’s “not here to point fingers” at those people with delinquent accounts or why they were allowed to get so out of control over the years.
However, he did note that some people on the delinquent list for any of these services own businesses in Shenandoah and others that are “in public service.”
If Shenandoah hadn’t let these delinquent bill totals get as high as they are, Boris said some of the borough’s issues could have been managed better over the years. He said streets could have been paved and blight mitigated.
Boris admits some of the totals he recited at Monday’s council meeting were “inflated” because some of the delinquent accounts are owned by people now deceased.
How did these delinquent totals get so high?
As far as the trash bills being so high – specifically with the trash bills – Boris said people “stick the borough and go with private haulers” and never pay back the borough.
This is one of the main reasons why Boris is pushing to ban private trash haulers in the borough, forcing residents to use Shenandoah’s own trash hauling service.
People with delinquent accounts with Shenandoah have until Sept. 1 to square up with the borough before the records are turned over to Portnoff, Boris said.
If accounts still aren’t paid through Portnoff, the collection agency said it’ll begin, among other things, putting liens on properties. He didn’t specify what other measures Portnoff might take in its collection efforts.
Pointing Fingers
Even though Boris said he didn’t want to point fingers at Monday’s council meeting, that didn’t mean Councilman Joe Gawrylik wouldn’t.
In a bit of a heated exchange with Borough Manager Tony Sajone, Gawrylik questioned how Shenandoah could have allowed these delinquent accounts to get as high as they did and what did officials do in the past to collect.
Sajone said the borough would either shut off water service and/or stop collecting trash from anyone who didn’t pay their bill.
“Why didn’t you go after the money,” Gawrylik asked Sajone.
Sajone fired back, “Why don’t you ask the previous council? I’m not on the council. That’s the council’s job.”
Gawrylik persisted in his questioning, saying Sajone should have come to the present council members when they took office at the beginning of this year to address the massive delinquent bills.
“Who’s the borough manager that’s supposed to know all the income coming in,” Gawrylik asked.
Sajone replied, “I’m not going to know everything, Joe.”
Gawrylik suggested that Sajone didn’t believe Gawrylik’s faction would win the 2023 Election. So, he believes Sajone kept the issue quiet to prevent residents from “fighting and arguing.”
“Now we start asking questions. We’re starting to dig the ditch,” Gawrylik said.
Sajone said there was more than a half-million dollars in delinquent bills when he took the job as Borough Manager.
PHOTO CAPTION (above): Councilman Joe Gawrylik (left) gets into a heated discussion with Shenandoah Borough Manager Tony Sajone (right) regarding previous practices on collecting delinquent accounts. (Coal Region Canary photo)
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