A Scott County landlord who owns several properties in Crothersville is seeking adjustments to delinquent sewer liens before this Friday’s Jackson County Tax Sale.
Grover Stacey’s properties at 400 West Howard Street (the former US Shoe Factory) owes over $48,000 in unpaid property taxes and delinquent sewer liens. It is scheduled to be sold by the county at tax sale this Friday. This is not the first time Stacy’s properties have been listed on the delinquent tax sale.
Stacey complained to the council at last week;s meeting that he is being charged $463 a month for sewer because of a large 2” water meter serving the building now used as a warehouse.
Stacey said he changed the meter to a residential style 5/8”-3/4” meter in May 2024 and asked the council for an adjustment to the charges.
“If he would have come in and told me (at the time he changed meters) I could have reduced the charges,” said clerk-treasurer Danieta Foster. “But he never came in.”
Stacey admitted that he had nothing in writing with the change with the town.
“You have multiple meters (at 400 Howard Street) and we have to have access to them every month,” she added.
Showing her exasperation with the situation, Foster told the council, “ I have been clerk-treasurer here since 2016 and that man (Stacey) has never paid anything until it goes to tax sale.” Then looking at Stacey, Foster said, ”When you don’t pay, it’s doesn’t hurt me, it doesn’t hurt the council it hurts the people of Crothersville.”
Council vice-president Jason Hillenburg asked Stacey about his dilapidated property at 208 Dixon Street. He said town’s unsafe building committee has deemed it unsafe multiple times. “You have been sent letters, and you never do anything about it,” said Hillenburg.
“My son is going to repair it,” was Stacey’s reply.
“That’s been the fight for years,” said Hillenburg. “You say you’ll do something and then you don’t. You want us to scratch your back but you ain’t doing no scratching up here.”
The council reluctantly agreed to adjust Stacy’s delinquent sewer lien back to May 2024 when he changed he size of his water meter.
In other business, the council gave their approval to allow INDOT to design access off US 31 into a proposed housing development on a 4.04 acres parcel owned by CC Murphy LLC on the town’s north side.
However, the council expressed concern with the number of houses that the developer planned because lot sizes were less than town ordinance allows meaning that homes would be too close together.
Town Engineer Dan Wright agreed. “He wants to develop 30 lots but for a parcel that size it should be 15,” he said.
The council discussed sewer expansion o the most recently annexed properties in Crothersville: along US 31 South, Bethany Road, and the Murphy subdivision.
It was learned that the proposed cost of getting sewer to those locations would be around $430,000 and that the town has $424,000 remaining from a previous sewer project. Being only $6,000 short, the council opted to move forward with the sewer expansions.
While on social media the majority of responses want the town to eliminate fluoride from the drinking water, the council tabled any action until the Jackson County Health Department could make a presentation.