Lake Worth customers’ bills expected to drop in spring as part... | www.palmbeachpost.com

This is one of the bigger items from last night's meeting.  Lake Worth went from claiming that our customers owed us tons of money and it turns out we owe them - and us - mostly.  This is from the article - another legacy from the Stanton period.  She turned down a settlement in the range of about $3 million since she was confident (ha!)) in the city's numbers.  From the article:

"The settlement gives refunds to all of the partners except Palm Springs, which has been withholding a portion of its payments because of the disputed charges. If the agreement is approved by Palm Springs officials, the village would pay $52,708 to Lake Worth Utilities.

Payments to sewer system partners will be made using money from reserves. They include: $222,299 to Lantana; $262,406 to Palm Beach; $58,639 to Atlantis; $58,028 to Palm Beach State College; $34,631 to South Palm Beach; and $8,753 to Manalapan.

Lake Worth sued the regional sewer partners in 2010, claiming they failed to make payments as required, particularly for the “renewal and replacement” fund used to cover costs associated with maintaining sewer lines, lift stations and the East Central Regional Water Reclamation Facility, the plant where the sewage is treated.

The dispute was handled through the government conflict resolution process outlined in Florida law and led to a state audit. The audit found vague contract terms, inconsistent cost calculations and poor record keeping by Lake Worth Utilities."