CORTLAND -- Update:
Neighbors who attended tonight's Cortland Common Council meeting say they're not satisfied with the city.
Rhonda Moore tells CNYcentral residents have three choices regarding the mandated change of water pipes from iron to copper. She says they can do nothing and risk the pipes breaking and needing to be fixed on their expense, they can have the city do the repairs and pay the bill when the city sends it to the property owner, or they can hire a private contractor to do the work. Neighbors are trying to work together for that third option, hoping to get the work done at a lower cost.
The Common Council will have another meeting about the issue next month. The Council will consider changing the law that doesn't allow the city to pay for this work.
Posted earlier:
Some City of Cortland residents are upset at the high costs of repairs needed for water pipes.
The cost to replace old iron pipes with copper is more than $2,000 for some, and the pipes are not even on their property.
Cortland Mayor Susan Feiszli says the high price tag is due to a 1910 city law. The law says that residents must pay for any repairs needed on the water pipes.
The bottom line: as long as water enters the home, the homeowner has to pay for those pipe repairs.
Randall Street resident David Spaulding doesn't understand why he's paying for the city's repairs.
"Anybody with any common sense looks at something and says, 'Why would I pay for something that's not mine?' The city owns from the street into the curb and they want me to pay for everything that's going in there."
The costs themselves are also higher this year than in the past.
Mayor Feiszli attributes that to increasing repair and labor costs.
She has come under fire recently for the rising bills. She admits if she received a $2,000 bill, she would have some questions too.
Mayor Feiszli says it shouldn't be up to residents to pay for repairs on city property, and the law needs fixing.
"The bottom line is we have laws that are on the books for many, many years. They need to be changed."
These issues will be discussed tonight at a common council meeting in Cortland City Hall. Residents say they plan on attending and hope to get some answers.
