The Iowa Supreme Court reversed a district court decision to allow Regional Utility Service Systems to garnish funds from Mt. Union’s general fund. RUSS provides waste water services and some residents of Mt. Union were not paying bills. The monthly bill per household has risen from $35 to $150 per month. In June of 2014 an Iowa District Court judge ruled the city had breached its contract with RUSS and awarded more than $27,000, also ruling the funds could be garnished from the city. The Iowa Supreme Court in its 13 page Monday ruling cited Public Property laws in the reversal. Mayor of Mt. Union, John Marek says, the city will now begin again by using tax liens on those who are not paying their bills as a way to pay the debt to RUSS.

It wasn’t all victories for Mt. Union, as the court also found the city will still owe RUSS more than $27,000 but the funds cannot come from the bank account. Executive Director of RUSS Bruce Hudson says, the company is weighing its options including the possibility of shutting down services to Mt. Union.