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A dispute over the water system snowballed into a slew of resignations for the Village of Copper City this weekend. All administrative positions have quit. Former president Rick Kasprzak says that when he came on board last year, there were 12 customers behind on payments and it was putting a huge strain on the utility.
He says at that time, a shut off moratorium kept the government from doing anything about delinquencies. In recent months, he synced up Copper City’s policy with what is being done at other utilities.
Five customers were behind as of the meeting on Monday, August 16th. A council vote was taken to approve shutting off service. Rather than following through, Kasprzak says two council members personally went to the customers in question and collected money to get them current. He worries about whether that is appropriate.
Treasurer Rebekah Kasprzak, Clerk Heather Maki, and Billing Clerk Dawn Bardo have also left.
Houghton County Clerk Jennifer Kelly says the Copper City Council is still able to hold meetings.
The government already has a couple of replacements ready to step in.
