Food pantry owes close to $6,000
By Ken Leiviska
Times-Press
REEDSBURG — As Thanksgiving quickly approaches it is not a large food donation the Reedsburg Food Pantry is asking the city for, it's money.
A misunderstanding between the food pantry, Park Street Senior Homes Manager Nicholas Ladopoulos and the Community Development Authority (CDA) has led to a $5,781 invoice for the last five years of heat and electric bills owed by the food pantry.
The food pantry signed a lease agreement in 2003 that was put together by former city administrator Dave Waffle and agreed upon by the food pantry and Park Street Senior Homes. It said the food pantry would owe one dollar a year in rent, plus utilities, for the next ten years. Park Street Senior Homes accepted the lease agreement because of money they receive from Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) for providing low income housing and for giving the food pantry a home.
Members of the food pantry say Waffle also made an agreement with them that the CDA would handle their utility costs, with the stipulation that the Reedsburg Common Council approved the spending. But five years have gone by and the common council has never heard of this agreement and the food pantry never paid for their utilities.
"We never got a bill for utilities," Karen Schiefelbein, a member of the food pantry, said.
Because they never received a bill, the food pantry assumed the CDA was taking care of the costs. In May 2008, the food pantry received a letter from Ladopoulos.
"He really paid for our utilities for five years," Schiefelbein said.
The food pantry wants to pay Ladopoulos what he is owed, but they believe it is not the $5,781 number he has produced. After talking with City Administrator John Dougherty and City Attorney Jim Gerlach, the food pantry believes they actually owe $2,350 — the equivalent of $39 a month.
"The question here is: what is owed and who's going to pay it," Kathy Johnston, member of the CDA, said.
As it stands, Ladopoulos wants the food pantry to pay for four percent of the entire building's utilities, including garbage removal. The food pantry feels part of this four percent is overlap, however, because the city already covers their garbage utility, as well as their telephone bill.
Gerlach told the food pantry they should only be responsible for heating and electric utilities. In an effort to have those utilities paid for, the food pantry went to the CDA meeting Thursday night asking for money or at least a point in the right direction. No final decision was made during the meeting, but the topic is on the Dec. 11 agenda.
"I think there's a lot of history we've got to look at," said CDA Chairperson Mike Sloat.
Mayor Carol Held attended the CDA meeting and suggested the city use some of its contingency fund in a worst-case scenario. But until the next CDA meeting, no decision will be made to help the food pantry, and Ladopoulos will not receive utility money.