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Council denies utility-bill appeal from Minnetonka homeowner, delays tax certification to give extra time to pay
Summary
After hearing staff and the property owner, the council denied an appeal of two high utility bills tied to an August–September leak that produced meter reads of about 1.1 million gallons over two quarters; the council forgave late fees and agreed to delay any tax certification of remaining balance until November 2027 to ease repayment.
The Minnetonka City Council on April 13 denied a utility-bill appeal from the owner of 16141 McGinty Road West tied to a summer water leak, but agreed to delay certification for collections to give the owner additional time to pay.
City staff (Mister Nelson) presented account history showing an 855,000‑gallon meter read for the June–September billing period and 267,000 gallons in the following quarter, for roughly 1.12 million gallons over two quarters compared with an average quarterly usage of 15,000–20,000 gallons. Staff said the city sent leak notices in August and early September and that the owner’s first contact with staff came on Sept. 11; the leak was repaired by Sept. 19. Staff recommended denial under Minnetonka City Code 1200.03, which assigns billing responsibility to the property owner.
The homeowner, Mr. Rivera, told council he did not live at the house at the time and did not check mail notices, said contractors were on site for remodeling, and described the amount as a severe financial hardship; he said his insurance deductible would make a claim impractical. Staff said the city had removed late fees, offered installment options and would certify any remaining balance to Hennepin County as property-tax charges if not paid.
Councilmembers expressed sympathy but worried about precedent and fairness to other ratepayers. The council voted to deny the appeal and uphold the current billing statement, including past due amounts with no adjustment, but it also forgave late fees and agreed to delay certification of any remaining balance until the November 2027 certification period to allow extended repayment time.
Why it matters: The case highlights the city’s long-standing approach of charging customers for billed water and reserving reductions for exceptional circumstances; the council balanced fiscal equity for other customers with some leniency on collections timing.
What’s next: The homeowner has until the extended certification window to pay or pursue other payment arrangements; staff will remove late fees for the remainder of the year and indicated the option to include the balance on property taxes if ultimately not paid.
