Marina and townhouse representative asks council for bill adjustment after hard-to-detect leak; city reviews timeliness and documentation

Representatives for property owners at 196 South River Street appeared to ask for a water-bill adjustment after a leak that ran undetected for weeks. The leak, which supplied irrigation systems for townhouses and water to the marina, was hard to detect because many water lines lie at or below the river surface. The applicant described multiple fixes (hose bibs, shutoffs) and documentation of repairs submitted to the utility.

Council discussed the city policy, which uses a customer's average seasonal usage over the previous three years to calculate a credit; staff explained the paperwork was submitted in late October/early November after the owner worked with utility billing earlier in the summer, and one councilor questioned whether the application met the city's 45-day submission policy. The applicant said they had been in contact with utility staff in late June/early July and that a data logger and on-site efforts had been used to find leaks.

Staff and council praised the applicant's proactive plan to install a flow-monitoring system on the marina before water turns back on to detect future leaks automatically. Council noted the possible adjustment could be over $8,000 and that final adjustment decisions are made in a regular council meeting rather than a work session.

Ending: The matter will be scheduled for the regular council meeting for formal action; staff will verify documentation and eligibility under the city's leak-adjustment policy before a vote.