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Newport Resident Raises Concerns Over State Facility's Water Bill; City Says Meter Tested
Summary
A Newport public commenter said the Northern State Correctional Facility received unexpectedly large water/sewer bills and is seeking waiver of penalties; city staff said meters were tested and functioning and declined a blanket waiver, offering payment plan options instead.
During public comment at the Jan. 23 council meeting, a woman who identified herself as Barbara and said she works at the Northern State Correctional Facility asked the city to consider waiving interest and penalty charges on an unusually large water and sewer bill.
Barbara described large quarterly swings in usage that led to new charges and said she has repeatedly asked to be placed on the agenda for a fuller hearing. "I just keep getting interest bills," she said. She told the council the facility’s quarterly usage jumped from roughly 3,000,000 gallons to 10,000,000 gallons and then dropped to 6,000,000 the next quarter, and asked why interest and penalties were assessed while the billing spike was being investigated.
City staff and the council responded on the record during public comment. A member of staff said the city had offered to test the meter at the facility (at the facility’s expense) and, after inspection, staff concluded the meter was functioning properly. The chair noted the city’s longstanding practice not to waive interest and penalties for late payment and said that, to maintain fairness, a one-off waiver could set a precedent.
Officials encouraged the commenter to work with the city manager and public works staff to bring full documentation and to appear on a future agenda for a more formal review. Staff described options such as payment plans and additional meter investigation; no formal council action was taken at this meeting.
