Village and Town of New Paltz water district users need not stress about those annoying late fees for this billing cycle. During their virtual joint meeting on April 2, town and village officials took steps to make that official.
The town water bills due at the end of March will not have late fees assessed. Town council members voted on that measure during the meeting. It’s one of the limited ways local officials can legally ease the burden on residents and landlords impacted by the pandemic-inspired economic shutdown gripping the human race.
Mayor Tim Rogers offered to have a similar resolution ready for village trustees for their next meeting, which will take place April 8. The language he floated was to waive the fees if the water bills are paid by May 1.
Plans to shift town water billing from quarterly to monthly are among many projects sidelined by the pandemic. Monthly billing allows for leaks to be recognized by property owners more quickly and, according to Rogers, “makes people more mindful of their usage.” The conversion to monthly billing for village and town users is hoped to help conserve water, most of which locally is purchased at very high rates from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the agency tasked with extracting billions of gallons from this part of the state to serve the needs of New York City residents.
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