SOMERSET — There are 34 residents in town who owe between $5,003.60 and $10,733.98 in outstanding water bills and the Water and Sewer Commission said last Wednesday that if they don't at least agree to a payment plan, their water is going to be shut off next month.
Four of the outstanding bills are close to or over $10,000.
At the next meeting of the Water and Sewer Commission, Water Department Office Manager Patty Carreiro will give an update on the outstanding bills.
Water and Sewer Commission Chairman Scott O'Brien said he wants to dedicate an employee at the Water Department to calling everyone on the list. He said if they don't agree to pay the bill or to a payment plan, their water could be shut off any time after March 15.
Water and Sewer Superintendent Robert Bozikowski said last week that 1,600 late notices were going to be sent out for water bills.
Water and Sewer Commissioner Joseph Bednarik, Jr. said they do not want to shut people's water off, but said if people with the outstanding bills call the Water Department office, they can work out a payment arrangement. He said he understands people can be in difficult positions, but he said they have made no attempt to pay the bills.
Bozikowski said if people have defaulted on payment plans, they will also be sent termination notices. He said they will have a plan of action at the next Water and Sewer Commission meeting for how to address the outstanding bills.
O'Brien said the money is needed to operate the Water Department. He said the Water Department will not borrow money to run its operations. The water and sewer departments are run on an enterprise account generated from the user fees that are paid.
Bozikowski said if people don't pay water bills, liens could also be put on their houses.
The Water and Sewer Commission has taken several steps over the last few years to get customers to pay water bills that go back as far as several years. The commission has approved new policy and hired an attorney to try to get people to pay their water bills.