Yesterday evening the Claypool Town Council was presented with information from Town Clerk Connie Morgan discussing a clerical error that has cost the town more than $27,000 over the past four years.

According to Morgan, four of the towns largest customers, Louis Dreyfus, Symmetry, a mobile home park and Claypool Elementary were under-billed due to a clerical error made in 2011 during Arlene Leiter’s time as clerk. Morgan explained that two of the customers were billed an incorrect base rate — the residential rate of $39.85 — and two others were charged a base rate rather than by rate based on consumption.

The error was discovered by Morgan after tracing back billing records since 2011. Morgan noted that the total miscalculation added up to $27,840 and stated that the town attorney will be sending letters to the four businesses to negotiate recovery. Morgan noted that the town will likely work to either establish a lump sum payment or a payment plan for the businesses. According to the statute of limitations, because it is an ordinance, even if the incorrect billing was a clerical error the town can go back up to seven years to collect.

Morgan noted that it is the job of the current clerk to act as the town’s checks and balances system. The clerk, who is elected by the town, is to ensure that billing is balanced. Morgan noted that the problem has been corrected for future billings.