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Saint Helena council reopens debate on delinquent water, sewer penalties; staff to return with 45-day option
Summary
After extended debate and public comment, the council asked staff to bring back revised ordinance language that would assess penalties later in the billing cycle—staff recommended 45 or 60 days as possible triggers—so the council can set a final threshold.
The Saint Helena City Council took up a proposed ordinance on June 24 to reintroduce penalties for delinquent water and wastewater bills as the city transitions from bimonthly to monthly billing.
Finance staff said the change to monthly billing and a shortened due date (21 days) required rethinking when to assess late penalties. The draft ordinance proposed penalties begin when a payment has been delinquent for at least 60 days: a 10% penalty on the delinquent amount plus 1% interest per month on carryover balances. Finance Manager Bill Turnbull (staff) and Deputy City Manager Beltran presented options and noted public comment that urged earlier assessment at 30 days.
Council members and public commentators expressed concern about the burden of immediate penalties on households with limited income. Several council members said they did not want to revert to a 30-day penalty schedule but did want something sooner than 60 days. Staff proposed a compromise of assessing penalties at 45 days after statement date to reduce administrative and customer-confusion issues tied to the billing-cycle transition.
Council members also discussed customer protections: the city—ontinues to offer hardship payment plans and the CARES program for qualifying residents. Staff said state law sets limits on the timing of service disconnection, so any change to the penalty timeline requires coordination with those rules.
After discussion the council directed staff to return with ordinance language reflecting a 45-day penalty trigger and with revisions to the water disconnection policy to align with the chosen timeline. No final ordinance was adopted on June 24; the item will return to council for a subsequent first/second reading and a final vote.
