Refunding deposits

At Monday night’s meeting of Moorcroft’s council, the town’s policy regarding water and sewer deposits was discussed after an individual had previously requested a waiver of said deposit for a rental property they had recently purchased.

After consideration, Councilman Dale Petersen suggested the deposit be paid as per ordinance with the understanding that, with no missed or late payments, the responsible party may retrieve the money after 12 months.

This option is open to every resident who pays for their utilities and are in good standing in their monthly payments after the first year.

The question was posed, though, as to what happens after the return of the deposit, if the resident becomes delinquent and the town is forced to shut off services. Is a nonrefundable deposit to be reestablished?

The council opposed this idea, Councilman Ben Glenn saying, “I don’t think they have to pay another deposit, I think we just shut the water off and it costs them $100 to turn it off and on. If it happens again, month after month, that’s another $100.”

The burden of proof of deposit for older accounts are on the customer as records kept before current Clerk Cheryl Schneider are not in all instances complete.