Village water bills — who pays?

Warwick — If you own a house and rent it out, who is responsible for paying the water and sewer bill? Seems like a no-brainer — the homeowner, right? Believe it or not, that is not always clear to homeowners. Diane Shorter is the billing control clerk for the Village of Warwick water and sewer department. She is responsible for sending out the water and sewer bill and collecting the fees each quarter. Many times she is questioned by a homeowner who does not occupy the house why he or she is being charged a late fee for an unpaid bill when they didn’t use the water in the first place. “It is amazing sometimes,” said Shorter. “We send out the bills to the owner of the property. It is their responsibility to see that the bill is paid.” Landlords can work that into a lease agreement if they choose. But that has nothing to do with the village. Taxes and fees, as far as the village is concerned, are the responsibility of the homeowner. The Village Board is looking to change village code to include that. Simply put, the change will state that the homeowner of record is responsible for the fees. Water and sewer bills are due quarterly, according to Shorter. And depending on where you live in the village, you are either on cycle one or cycle two. Cycle one residents receive their bills on Feb. 1, May 1, Aug. 1 and Nov. 1. Cycle two residents get theirs on March 15, June 15, Sept. 15, and Dec. 15. You have 30 days to pay. After 30 days, there is a 5 percent penalty. If that is not paid, another half of a percent is tacked on. In 60 days from when it is due, if it is not paid, residents will receive a certified letter stating the water will be turned off and also a door hanger is placed on their door knob. Shorter said the village is willing to work with people. They shouldn’t just not pay the bill. There is a $50 charge for shutting off water service and then another $50 charge to turn it back on. “People have called or come in if they were in the hospital or there was an emergency,” said Shorter. “We work with them. We can take a partial payment. We can work it out.” Some people fight their late charge saying they never received the first bill. If the bill was not returned from the post office to the village, it is considered delivered and the late charge will not be rescinded, Shorter said. For about a year, the village sent postcards to residents, which were easily lost or tossed as junk mail. The village went back to their original system, which includes an envelope to return payment. Shorter noted that people can mail their payments, drop them in the after-hours slot to the left of the Village Hall doors, or stop into Village Hall to pay her directly. Anyone with questions on their bills can contact Shorter at 986-2031.