Council discusses water-bill non-delivery and interest penalties after postal failure; statute limits waiver

Council members raised a cluster of resident complaints after a number of households in a neighborhood reported they did not receive quarterly water bills. The council discussed options for addressing late-payment interest and next steps after staff identified a postal-route delivery problem.

Mayor Mary Lane told the council that the borough had contacted the post office and other responsible parties after learning that an entire route failed to receive bills. She said the borough posts notices on Nixle and in the mayor’s weekly letter and that residents can view and pay bills online. When asked whether the borough could waive late fees or interest, mayoral staff and administration cited state law requiring interest on late payments and said the borough lacks authority to waive that statutory interest. Mayor Lane and staff encouraged residents to sign up for electronic notifications and use the online portal.

Council members argued the situation left residents frustrated, and one councilmember described at least one resident who refused to pay the fine for principle. Mayor Lane said the amounts in the reported examples were very small (cents) but acknowledged the fairness concern. Staff said office workers in some instances paid the few cents from their own pockets for residents who requested relief. Administration also noted that overnight delivery by the borough would increase costs and likely be passed to ratepayers.

Why this matters: Missed bill deliveries and resulting penalties raised equity and customer-service issues for elderly residents without online access. The council recorded that it had contacted the postal service and was exploring expanded digital notification options but stated it could not override statutory interest requirements.

Details from the meeting: Staff advised that residents can check bills online and that Nixle and the mayor’s Friday letter provide reminders before bills issue. Administration said it was exploring email notification options to expand outreach.