by Jan Shields
In a plea for relief that spilled from the Village Board Meeting to the Town Meeting Tuesday night, residents from the Green Heights housing development sought help to control their ever soaring water bills.
The Village has changed to a metered water system, billing on usage instead of a flat rate. The transition has been rocky in the Village, with residents saying at the Village meeting Tuesday that many of their bills have tripled. Those complaints were soothed by Mayor Matt Monahan who explained that there had been some snags. The Village offered forms to log complaints.
Monahan said that individual homes and meters would be checked. “Sometimes it is a leaking toilet or an outside water faucet,” said Monahan. “Other times it is a faulty meter.” Some of the original meters, installed up to six years ago, when activated billed on water usage from when the equipment was first installed, he said.
“At this rate it will bankrupt a majority of the people in Hoosick Falls,” said one resident.
But for those who live outside the Village and use Village water, the problem multiplies. For those residents, the cost of water went from 1.5 times the cost to Village residents to twice the cost in addition to increased cost of usage-based bills.
In the case of Green Heights a 40 year contract calling for the 1.5 rate expired in March. No one, not residents, not Village officials, not Town officials, realized the contract was expiring. And when it did, the Village increased the rate for water usage.
In an impassioned speech to the Town Board, Green Heights resident Jennifer Leggett called for the Town’s help. “I want you to
explain to my children why we have to put our house on the market because we can’t pay our water bill,” she said. “We want to pay our fair share but at a reasonable rate. We elected you to serve us, protect us…Will you help us?”
She said their family, already buried in bills because one of their children suffers from a spinal deformity, cut down on the number of showers they take and the laundry they do. “You need to rethink how we are billed,” she said.
During the Village meeting, residents were advised, in addition to reporting unusually high water bills, to read their meter once a week to establish an average usage and look for possible water leaks in the house. “A leaky toilet can use up to 100 gallons a day,” said Monahan.
He added that those contesting their bills would not be charged late fees for unpaid bills while the investigation is ongoing.
But Greg Morin, a Green Heights resident, chastised Town officials for not communicating with the Village. “As a Town you need to start getting together. No word from the Village about a change or what the change might be. We are your residents. We needed you to get us information.”
The Village should not “try to make up the deficit in the Village on the backs of 34 homes,” he added. “I’ll pay for what I use, but I need someone to tell me if it is equitable and fair.”
Another resident, Pierre Essis, called for Town and Village officials to come together. “I see that there is miscommunication. Today it is Green Heights, tomorrow somewhere else. We can solve it together. We can share the burden.”
Village officials, who had filtered into the Town meeting, agreed to meet with the Town Council to attempt to resolve the issue. No date has been set for the meeting.
Village resident Barbara Sussman also said she would start a fund to help Green Heights residents pay their inflated water bills. She pledged the first $50, saying it would be donated to Jennifer Leggett.
“I am a mother too,” she said.
She called for other Village residents to “pay a little more” and donate to the fund. Hoosick Supervisor Keith Cipperly donated $20. Donations can be dropped off at 1 Main Street.