East Cleveland financial issues have placed city officials in a tough spot, they're not sure what bill to pay first, including a $30,000 delinquent water bill owe to Cleveland Municipal Water Department.
newsnet5.com discovered the huge bill after making a public records request, and asked questions of East Cleveland officials back on June 27.
Three days later East Cleveland paid most of the massive balanced owed, a bill that caused Cleveland's water department to shutdown water service to some East Cleveland properties.
East Cleveland Councilman Brandon King told newsnet5.com a portion of the bill was generated after the Cleveland water department made a shocking discovery.
"Cleveland water found a meter that they didn't know was there," said King. "So they had this bill just like that, because they didn't know the meter was there. So that's how the water got shut-off."
King and East Cleveland Council President Thomas Wheeler said their city is facing an additional one million dollar shortfall in 2017.
Both have commissioned an independent study that they said would determine if East Cleveland could survive on its own, without being annexed by the city of Cleveland.
The study is expected to be completed with the next 60 days,
