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Residents raise sewage odors and village probes broken meters after apartment sale
Summary
Board members heard resident complaints about sewage odors inside homes on Amsterdam Avenue and discussed a recent Village 1 Apartments sale that exposed several nonworking water meters; the village plans meter replacements, possible rebilling, and a policy for final‑read fees.
Residents told the Menands Village Board that sewage odors have been entering homes on Amsterdam Avenue and that the problem is affecting multiple households.
"It's not just me. It's my next door neighbor. It's the guy across the street," Resident Speaker 6 said during public comment, adding that the smell "comes up through my drain" and is present in basements. Board members acknowledged the concern and said major sewer work is planned for next year and will be bid over the winter, but staff could not guarantee an immediate fix.
Separately, village staff reported that Village 1 Apartments recently sold and a final billing review revealed meters had stopped working for multiple billing periods, possibly for three years. Speaker 1 described the reconciliation: the current period was billed $36,000 and a prior period was estimated at $19,000; the village rebilled the buyer for the current period and adjusted the prior period, noting it had not historically gone back further than those billing windows.
Speaker 1 said the village will require replacement meters within 90 days or apply a 25% surcharge until accurate readings are in place. "If you don't, we will do this in return," Speaker 1 said, describing the procedure to ensure future compliance. The board discussed, but did not record a final vote on, a proposed resolution to set final meter‑read fees when properties change hands (residential $50 / $100 expedited; commercial $100 / $200 expedited).
What happens next: staff will meet with the apartment building's management and water department staff to replace meters and calculate corrected bills; the proposed final‑read fee policy will be formalized and returned to the board for action.
