Brackenridge woman says previous water bills paid to borough in cash went unaccounted for
A woman is calling for transparency in Brackenridge Borough after she claims water bills she paid in cash weren’t accounted for.She claims her cash payments for the last six months’ worth of water and trash bills were never accounted for, and she was slapped with an outstanding balance of hundreds of dollars.Melissa Dawson said she was handed records that showed she owed the borough $467.76.“She hands me this paper, and she says, ‘Well, our records indicate that you haven’t paid your bill since November.’ And I was beside myself,” Dawson said.Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reached out to the borough in an attempt to hear the administration’s perspective on this issue.The borough manager said only that this is “under investigation.”Brackenridge Mayor Lindsay Fraser, shared a statement Friday evening saying that can’t comment publicly on unresolved personnel matters, but added “As mayor, I am committed to working with borough administration, council, as well as outside investigative agencies to provide a full assessment of the scope of damages, to hold those responsible to appropriate account for their actions, to provide the public with answers, to work towards rebuilding trust and repairing the relationship between borough government and the residents.”Dawson says that as a renter, the physical water and refuse bill is sent to the homeowner, her landlord. So, for years, when Dawson paid her bill, she stopped by the borough building, asked the front desk clerk what she owed, and paid in cash.She said she’s left asking where her previous payments went and why, if she had not paid them as borough records indicated, her water had never been shut off.“I’ve lived in this borough for many years, on and off. And every single time that you’re late on your water bill, they would send a shut-off notice always,” Dawson said.Dawson believes the staff member who had accepted her previous payments could be at fault.“They did say that she would not be working there anymore. And while that made me feel better, I didn’t… Of course, details were not shared with me about what kind of investigation they were doing,” Dawson said. “She stole from the people of the bureau. You know, while I do appreciate that the bureau is covering part of my past due balance, she didn’t take the money from them.”This is a developing story.
A woman is calling for transparency in Brackenridge Borough after she claims water bills she paid in cash weren’t accounted for.
She claims her cash payments for the last six months’ worth of water and trash bills were never accounted for, and she was slapped with an outstanding balance of hundreds of dollars.
Melissa Dawson said she was handed records that showed she owed the borough $467.76.
“She hands me this paper, and she says, ‘Well, our records indicate that you haven’t paid your bill since November.’ And I was beside myself,” Dawson said.
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reached out to the borough in an attempt to hear the administration’s perspective on this issue.
The borough manager said only that this is “under investigation.”
Brackenridge Mayor Lindsay Fraser, shared a statement Friday evening saying that can’t comment publicly on unresolved personnel matters, but added “As mayor, I am committed to working with borough administration, council, as well as outside investigative agencies to provide a full assessment of the scope of damages, to hold those responsible to appropriate account for their actions, to provide the public with answers, to work towards rebuilding trust and repairing the relationship between borough government and the residents.”
Dawson says that as a renter, the physical water and refuse bill is sent to the homeowner, her landlord. So, for years, when Dawson paid her bill, she stopped by the borough building, asked the front desk clerk what she owed, and paid in cash.
She said she’s left asking where her previous payments went and why, if she had not paid them as borough records indicated, her water had never been shut off.
“I’ve lived in this borough for many years, on and off. And every single time that you’re late on your water bill, they would send a shut-off notice always,” Dawson said.
Dawson believes the staff member who had accepted her previous payments could be at fault.
“They did say that she would not be working there anymore. And while that made me feel better, I didn’t… Of course, details were not shared with me about what kind of investigation they were doing,” Dawson said. “She stole from the people of the bureau. You know, while I do appreciate that the bureau is covering part of my past due balance, she didn’t take the money from them.”
This is a developing story.