Combining sewer and water bills might be a way to pressure customers to pay overdue sewer bills.
Holyoke City Councilor Kevin A. JourdainHOLYOKE – It takes a hammer.
City officials agreed Monday that, with more than $500,000 in uncollected sewer bills at stake, they want the city to seek the power of shut-off leverage to force sewer customers to pay overdue bills.
Currently under state law, the city is unable to shut off sewer service despite a long-overdue bill and that means customers can let bills lag, officials said.
“They’re doing an end-run around us,” Councilor at Large Kevin A. Jourdain said, at a budget hearing Monday
Holyoke has separate entities that bill and provide for water, Holyoke Water Works, and sewer service, the Department of Public Works.
The threat of having water shut off is an incentive to customers to pay the bill, said councilors and other officials, who said the city needs the same hammer to use against delinquent sewer customers.
Some communities have combined water and sewer bills. Adoption of state legislation could permit that here and help the city get access to delinquent revenue, they said.
“If you don’t pay both, you don’t get both (services),” Ward 6 Councilor Todd A. McGee said.
Public Works Superintendent William D. Fuqua said he would support a combined water and sewer billing to trigger the shut-off pressure the city now lacks.
Now, his department sends letters to delinquent customers to try to get payment and the city can attach property liens, but more than half a million dollars remains unpaid, he said.
“Without shut off ... it’s just not going to happen,” Fuqua said.
The City Council appoints the three-member Water Commission, which oversee Water Works. Water Works Manager David M. Conti said later the prospect of combining water and sewer billing has been discussed for years and the commission would be willing to consider it.
“That’s something the commissioners and the City Council could investigate,” Conti said.
The discussion came as councilors reviewed the proposed sewer fund and public works expenses for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
An issue has been that sewer fund expenses are exceeding revenues and Fuqua and others have said that seeking a rate increase was a possibility.
Jourdain said a rate increase should be the last step after others such as budget cuts and seizing delinquent bills have been exhausted.
The sewer fund totals $8.5 million, with $6.4 million going to the private United Water company to run the wasterwater treatment plant.
Jourdain asked whether some cuts could be made in that budget. Fuqua said the truth is that hundreds of thousands of dollars in pipe and other infrastructure improvements are needed but are being delayed.
“We’re just on borrowed time ... some time we have to figure out how that’s going to be paid for,” Fuqua said.
Jourdain said Fuqua should compile a capital-needs list with a three-to-five-year timeline.
The other parts of the public works budget, dealing with trash collection, snow plowing, parking and other areas, are a proposed $4.5 million.