Resident asks for ethics inquiry

“This statement reads as an attempt by Mr. Brophy to quiet other City Councilors from questioning hard in the matter of water billing, liens and demands; matters that involve his brother,’’ Kruger wrote in his complaint.

Brophy firmly denied any impropriety.

“My family has always been involved in public service, and there is no basis to the allegations,’’ Brophy said. “I was the one who called for the audit in the first place.’’

Brockton recently commissioned a $100,000 study of water woes that caused bills as high as $100,000 to be sent to some residents to make up for years of incorrectly estimated meter readings.

The study’s more than 1,000 pages of findings, completed over the past five months, show findings of outdated and broken equipment being used by untrained employees. Consultants with The Abrahams Group offered 70 suggestions for reform at a June meeting as they deflected pointed questions from Ward 6 City Councilor Michelle DuBois and Councilor at Large Jass Stewart about where fault lies, to assuage outraged residents.

The auditors, though, said they weren’t hired to investigate management failings, just policies and process. On Monday, the City Council’s Finance Committee will hear from top Department of Public Works officials and Mayor Linda Balzotti, who has said she is prepared to look at staffing changes if warranted.

Ethics Commission spokesman David Giannoti said strict confidentiality laws prevent him from either confirming or denying that a complaint exists. In general, a complaint can either be dismissed based on the facts provided or moved on to an enforcement division.

Punishments range from private letters of education to public disclosure and fines.