A Wellman resident will have to pay over $1,000 for his January water bill.

The City of Wellman had run a continuous leak report for January and found resident Fred Wagner was on the list. City employees went to his home and found a hose had come loose from his washing machine in the basement and used about 78,200 gallons of water. Wagner attended a city council meeting and asked for the city’s help in forgiving part of his water/sewer bill which totaled $1,106.58. City Administrator Kelly Litwiller researched previous similar matters and found the city did not help the resident in the past. The council felt their hands were tied because of this precedent, and approved to have Litwiller orchestrate a payment plan with Wagner.