More than $70,000 in delinquent fire, floodwall and police fees, plus penalties and interest, are owed to the City of Parkersburg on properties owned by the Naik family of companies.
The city filed a pair of lawsuits to recover that money last week.
The Naiks own multiple properties in Parkersburg and Wood County, including the former Intercontinental Export and Import Plastics facility off Camden Avenue that was destroyed in a massive October 2017 fire. That blaze and questions over the nature of the plastics and other materials stored there brought the recycling business under the scrutiny of state and local authorities.
Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce said this isn’t the first time the city has gone to court to collect money owed on Naik properties.
“It’s a common practice with that particular owner,” he said. “They fail to pay on time, and the city files suit. Normally they pay once we file suit.”
Joyce said the companies were last paid in full in October 2018.