Upstate town scheduled to close town hall and residents are wondering how to pay water bill
In Calhoun Falls, the town hall is scheduled to close on Thursday. WYFF News 4 has been following since February. There are many questions arising from residents, one of the major concerns: how will residents pay their water bill if town hall closes? “I’m very concerned because some of them said that we would have to mail it. Then some of them said that we have to send it to Abbeville,” said Williemae Turman, who is a Calhoun Falls resident. “I’m just so used to just dropping it off at town hall.”Even though town hall is set to close on Thursday, the doors are on open until then. WYFF News 4 stopped by Monday to see if there is a plan in place for residents to pay their water bill. Town clerk Wendi Lewis and the town grant administrator Jamie Willoughby were working, but their resignations were announced last week. WYFF 4 spoke to Willoughby who said her last day is Wednesday.”We are working on that as we speak. We will be putting an ad in the paper,” Willoughby said. “If there are employees between now and Wednesday, they are welcome to come sit with me.”This is the latest in Calhoun Falls after a state audit flagged Calhoun Falls as high-risk for fraud under Mayor Terrico Holland’s tenure. SLED is now investigating after the findings. The town also faces a $400,000 lawsuit from its water supplier.”We’re never going to get out of debt,” said Dililah Smith, who is a Calhoun Falls resident. Then there is a $690,000 lease-agreement signed by Holland. Councilmembers LaSean Tutt and Viggo Lassen said it was done without their approval. They say the agreement shows some town buildings and vehicles including a fire truck were put up as collateral. “With him doing this collateral thing, if we lose our truck, we are out of luck,” Smith said. WYFF News 4 reached out to Holland about a plan for water bill payments. During the phone call, the mayor said he could not hear our reporter and the call was disconnected.We tried to call him back several times but were unable to reach him.
In Calhoun Falls, the town hall is scheduled to close on Thursday. WYFF News 4 has been following since February.
There are many questions arising from residents, one of the major concerns: how will residents pay their water bill if town hall closes?
“I’m very concerned because some of them said that we would have to mail it. Then some of them said that we have to send it to Abbeville,” said Williemae Turman, who is a Calhoun Falls resident. “I’m just so used to just dropping it off at town hall.”
Even though town hall is set to close on Thursday, the doors are on open until then. WYFF News 4 stopped by Monday to see if there is a plan in place for residents to pay their water bill. Town clerk Wendi Lewis and the town grant administrator Jamie Willoughby were working, but their resignations were announced last week. WYFF 4 spoke to Willoughby who said her last day is Wednesday.
“We are working on that as we speak. We will be putting an ad in the paper,” Willoughby said. “If there are employees between now and Wednesday, they are welcome to come sit with me.”
This is the latest in Calhoun Falls after a state audit flagged Calhoun Falls as high-risk for fraud under Mayor Terrico Holland’s tenure. SLED is now investigating after the findings. The town also faces a $400,000 lawsuit from its water supplier.
“We’re never going to get out of debt,” said Dililah Smith, who is a Calhoun Falls resident.
Then there is a $690,000 lease-agreement signed by Holland. Councilmembers LaSean Tutt and Viggo Lassen said it was done without their approval. They say the agreement shows some town buildings and vehicles including a fire truck were put up as collateral.
“With him doing this collateral thing, if we lose our truck, we are out of luck,” Smith said.
WYFF News 4 reached out to Holland about a plan for water bill payments. During the phone call, the mayor said he could not hear our reporter and the call was disconnected.
We tried to call him back several times but were unable to reach him.