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Templeton residents and utility managers debate why water and sewer are billed separately
Summary
At the March 9 Select Board meeting, water and sewer managers said technical limits and legal rules—separate enterprise structures, incompatible billing software, and billing/timing differences—largely prevent a quick switch to a single combined bill; residents raised concerns about a perceived 'loophole' that lets some avoid sewer enforcement.
The Town of Templeton heard escalating frustration from residents on March 9 about why water and sewer charges are not combined into a single bill, and whether that separation lets some customers avoid sewer enforcement.
The Select Board invited Jeff Aldridge, identified in the meeting as the sewer superintendent, and Mr. Driscoll, manager of Light & Water, to explain why the town sends separate water, sewer and light bills. Aldridge and Driscoll told the board the issue is not simply local will: software incompatibilities and different billing cycles make printing a single bill difficult, and the town’s water and sewer are organized as separate enterprises subject to special legislation and elected oversight.
"With the billing software we have now, we’re about a year into changing it to a new comprehensive system," Mr. Driscoll said, adding that the planned water bill already fills a full page and that integrating another billing stream is more complex than it sounds.
Cheryl, the town collector, described the customer-facing effect: residents often pay one bill (for example, water) and still receive a late notice for sewer because the two bills do not run on the same cycle. "The majority of people come in—they want one bill," she said, and told the board she receives repeated calls asking why a bill appears unpaid when a customer believes they paid.
Residents and board members pressed on enforcement. One commissioner cited about $180,000 in outstanding sewer arrears and asked whether nonpayment could lead to shutoffs; officials said sewer cannot be turned off in the same practical way as water and that the town typically uses liens and other collection tools rather than physical shutoff.
Legal and policy constraints were repeatedly cited. Board members noted that moving sewer billing entirely to the collector’s office or combining bills would likely require action by the elected commissioners who govern those utilities and—because of the enterprise-fund structure—might also require town-meeting votes or special legislation. "If the shortfall is greater than X, we have to look at special legislation," a board member said during the exchange.
Managers also warned that changing billing platforms or adding functionality (printing combined statements, coordinating usage reads, reconciling cycles) carries cost; some officials said the expected savings from efficiency could be offset by software and licensing costs.
The board took no formal action to change billing that evening but asked managers to supply usage and walk-in payment statistics and to explore technical options. Select Board members said they want improved coordination so residents are less frequently surprised by separate bills and late notices.
What's next: managers agreed to report back with numbers on how many customers pay online vs. in person and with an estimate of the cost and feasibility of adding sewer to the collector's billing workflow. The board said a formal policy or structural change would not be adopted that night.
