by Geoff Fox
A few days after the town meeting, Town Manager Mike Faith went to social media to give residents an update on a few things not covered at the monthly town meeting.
During his Facebook Live online chat on Friday, March 17, Faith touched on when the splash pad would be open and people not cleaning up after their dogs.
He told those watching that the splash pad would open Memorial Day weekend.
There are some improvements that are going to be made, he added, such as fencing to go around it and a pavilion.
There will also be a structure built around the pump and other equipment in the corner, cutting down on the noise in the area.
“We got plans submitted,” Faith said. “We’re going to get them signed off by an engineer and then get everything built up to spec.”
Faith said there’s certain requirements for the room required by the state and health department that must be met in terms of ventilation.
He said the town wants to make sure everything is done correctly so they wouldn’t have to come back and fix mistakes at a greater expense.
Pick up after the dog
Faith also reminded people the town does not allow pets on the ball fields at Gerber Field or Kirkwood Park and when people are out and about, if the pet makes a mess that isn’t on their property, it’s the owner’s responsibility to clean it up.
“Take a little bag with you, pick it up and throw it in the trash like a normal human being,” Faith said. “Don’t leave that stuff laying around.”
He said it’s a problem every year and asked how the people would like it if their child or grandchild were to step in that mess and track it in the car or house.
“You wouldn’t like it,” he said. “So please be courteous.”
People can walk their pets in the park on a leash, but it’s the owner’s responsibility to clean up after the pet does their business. Faith also reminded people there is a leash law in town.
There are doggy bag dispensers in the parks and around town, but Faith still reminded people to take plastic bags with them on the walk.
“These parks, the town has invested a lot of money, time, and effort to keep them nice, to keep them available, and provide great open spaces for everyone to enjoy,” Faith said. “So don’t mess it up by allowing your dog to do their business everywhere.”
He likened those dog owners to people changing a diaper off a child and throwing it in someone’s yard.
Faith added it is illegal to allow dogs to do their business in the parks and people could be cited.
Water bills
Faith also talked about water bills and how people have been getting upset about their bills.
There’s an ordinance on the town’s books stating the bill is to go out quarterly and if the bill isn’t paid by the cutoff date on the bottom of the bill, the town will shut the water off.
“We don’t give any additional warnings. We don’t do any postings. Your bill is your notification,” he said.
The reason the policy has been made that way because over the years, the town has attempted to post properties, fines, and other means to get people to pay their bills, but it isn’t effective and doesn’t work, Faith explained.
Faith also knows bills tend to get lost in the mail, but he doesn’t know how to handle that.
Instead, he suggested marking the calendar when the bill would be due each quarter and if you haven’t gotten the bill when the quarter starts, call Town Hall and get the balance.
“We’re not going to notify you,” he said.
The Town of Hancock has two sources of revenue – taxes and water and sewer, so they have to collect what is owed them.
Faith said the town is going to federal and state agencies for “significant amounts” for funding of the new water and wastewater plant, which the town could not afford on its own.
Part of the agreement, he added, is the town has to collect the money owed.
“If we have a substantial amount of delinquent water and sewer bills, then that affects our ability to get funding for the projects we need to complete,” he said. “It’s very important everyone understands that.”
While the town doesn’t want to shut off water to a property, there are times they need to do so.
Faith said the town would have to send employees back out to turn the water back on, meaning they need to be paid and that’s an expense on the taxpayer.
Then there’s the $100 reconnection fee for the water as well, he said.
Faith also noted he knows people who put money on their water bill every month or month and a half and now have a surplus on their account so they don’t want to get to the point where they can’t pay their bill.
There’s also an online option to pay the bill, but the money has to be in the town’s account for the bill to be satisfied.
He’s not sure how long the online option takes to reach the town’s account and warned people to be careful in using that option, but he did say it might be two or three days.
“If you wait until the day before shut offs to pay the bill, you’re taking your chances because there’s a good chance the money’s not in our account and you’ll shut off anyway,” he said.
Once shut offs occur, Faith said the town only accepts cash or certified funds at Town Hall. They can’t accept checks to turn water back on nor can they accept credit card payments, as they aren’t set up for that form of payment.