The drama in the Belfair Water District might (emphasize: might) be one step closer to ending.

But just like every other step along the way in this saga, the district’s attempt to pay off the judgment carried with it its own bit of story, one that could be used as ammo by both sides.

The Belfair Water District sent two checks to Greg Overstreet, attorney for the plaintiffs who sued the district on public records issues. One was for the amount of the judgment. The other was for the interest and other fees owed since the district didn’t pay the original judgment quickly. The checks should have, in theory, ended the plaintiffs’ attorney’s effort to garnish the district’s finances.

The smaller check for $1,134.43 was issued in handwritten form to “Allied Law Group in trust for Gregory Waggett, Bonnadelle Pope, and Ken Vanbuskirk.”

The larger check for $82,332.85 is typewritten to Gregory Waggett/Bonnadelle Pope and then handwritten to Ken Vanbuskirk. Allied’s bank would not accept that one, Overstreet said, because two names were typewritten and one of the names was handwritten and secondly because it wasn’t issued to the firm in trust for the plaintiffs.

Overstreet tried to get the water district to reissue the larger check, but the district responded that it would not, that the checks were issued properly.

Earlier Thursday Overstreet wrote to Jeff Myers, attorney for the district. Included was this:

“As you know I am ethically required to deposit client funds it (sic) into the firm’s trust account. See rules of Professional Conduct 1.15A(c)(1).”

Later in the day he decided to see if he can get the check deposited by getting endorsements from the three payees. “If that check clears, then the garnishment will be quashed.”

The plaintiffs would argue this fits the district’s profile of being obstructionist. Perhaps the next issue of “The Aqueduct” will reveal the district’s counter.