Township board opts to pay plumbing bill

By RICHARD JENKINS

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Ironwood Township — Given that the township would likely be found responsible if the issue were contested, the Ironwood Township Board of Trustees voted Monday to pay the plumbing bill for a Jackson Road residence after sewage backed up into the property’s basement.

The $262 bill came after the property owners called a plumber about the sewage backup and it was ultimately determined that the issue was with the township sewer line rather than the pipes the homeowner is responsible for.

“I think we should pay it, yes. It’s not the homeowner’s responsibility because it wasn’t their lateral (line), it was the main (sewer line),” Supervisor Jay Kangas said during his explanation of the situation.

There was a discussion during the meeting regarding whether a decision to pay the bill would run counter to past actions, however, no one on the board could remember a similar situation as property owners often contact the township first to determine who’s responsible before proceeding with hiring a plumber.

The homeowners are relatively new, according to information presented at the meeting, and likely didn’t know and Kangas said they made a “good faith effort” to solve the problem.

The motion to approve paying the bill included language indicating this wasn’t establishing a precedent in future cases and that property owners should be informed of the need to contact the township before any plumber.

In other action, the board:

—Agreed to at least one more meeting before taking any action on possibly reopening the gym at the township hall to allow township officials to explore ways the gym could possibly be rented safely during the pandemic.

—Discussed that they may need to look at the township sewer rates to determine whether any increases would be needed to help fund potential work updating the infrastructure.

—Learned there was some interest in an old piano that the township has in storage. The township had sought to sell the piano in 1992, Kangas said, but received no bids and ultimately were unable to give it away at that time. The board agreed Kangas should look into the procedure for disposing of township property and whether bids were needed again.

—Authorized spending $500 on fertilizer for the soccer fields at Airport Park.