On Tuesday, July 19, 2011, the Public Service Commission Administrative Law Judge, David Clark, conducted a pre hearing conference to lay out the procedures regarding the Formal PSC Complaint filed by a group of Ogden Valley residents served by Mountain Sewer Corporation.
Judge Clark stated that since there would soon be a request from Mountain Sewer for a rate increase, and a possible sale of Mr. Catanzaro’s water and sewer properties, the complainants request for a complete, independent audit of the utility's accounting books and operating systems by the PSC staff will be one of the first items to be addressed.
When the audit of Mountain Sewer is completed, all parties will again meet to discuss the results of the audit and determine the next step in the complaint process.
The Weber County Commission, who is the designated body politic for Mountain Sewer, chose not to send a representative to the conference today, but sent a letter to the Administrative Law Judge stating their position regarding their responsibilities for oversight of Mountain Sewer.
The Ogden Valley Forum feels the non-participation by Weber County is a disservice to Mountain Sewer customers, especially those in the Lakeside Village Town homes, and is a continuation of Weber County’s inconsistent oversight record regarding Mountain Sewer operational problems. Many of the Lakeside Village town home owners have suffered multiple sewage flooding incidents (the latest March 16, 2011) due to the functional problems of Mountain Sewer’s lift pumps. These town home owners have found a mixture of storm water with raw sewage in their homes during numerous flooding incidents dating back several years.
The Forum urges the Weber County Commissioners to step up and fulfill their responsibilities regarding Mountain Sewer instead of pushing the problems off for future meetings of the Special Service District board.
