Council approves $15,178 sewer abatement for Village Haven after Sewer Commission review

The North Smithfield Town Council voted to abate $15,178.46 in sewer charges for the Village Haven after the town’s Sewer Commission recommended reducing the property’s billed equivalent from an estimated 35 EDUs to 13.

The Sewer Commission presented measured water-usage data showing the facility’s annual consumption equates to about 4 EDUs, far below the seat-count formula that produced 35 EDUs. A commission representative told the council the disparity was “egregious” and recommended the abatement so the business has room to scale up without being overcharged based on a seat-count estimate.

Council members debated whether approving the abatement would create a precedent that other customers with water meters could use to request similar reductions. The town solicitor and staff explained that ordinance-defined EDU assignments cannot be changed by the council directly, so the board’s available remedy in the short term is an annual abatement of charges rather than an ordinance change.

A councilor moved to approve the appeal “per the recommendation of the Chairman of the Sewer Commission” to apply a 13-EDU assessment and abate sewer charges totaling $15,178.46; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll call vote.

Councilors and staff noted that if other ratepayers present equivalent metered evidence showing consistent lower use, the town would likely be obligated to treat similar cases consistently. Staff also said long-term policy work is under way to review the ordinance and consider whether a metered approach or other changes would be more equitable for customers with atypical usage patterns.

The action is an abatement for the current billing year; any policy change to billing methodology would require ordinance updates and further council action.