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Resident urges review of Centerville water late fees, cites Maryland statute
Summary
At the Feb. 19 Centerville Town Council meeting, resident Margaret Jaggley told council staff she found a $100 late fee on a water bill and said Maryland law and PUC guidance suggest late fees should be limited and not assessed until bills are 20 days past due; staff said they will review the statute and noted hardship payment agreements are available.
Margaret Jaggley, a Centerville resident, told the Town Council on Feb. 19 that she was surprised to see a $100 late fee on a recent water bill and said she researched state guidance that, in her reading, limits municipal water late fees to 5% and recommends delaying assessments until a bill is 20 days past due.
Jaggley said she applied the 5% figure to her Tier 1 bill and that calculation produced a late fee of under $15; applying a 1.5% rate produced a fee of a little more than $4. “I was shocked when it was posted that there was a late fee of $100,” she said, and added she submitted her research to town staff to forward to the town attorney.
The council and staff responded that the town will review the cited statute and guidance. A staff member said the town offers payment agreements for residents who report hardships and that staff connect residents to social services for utility assistance. “If people contact us with a hardship related to shut off, we absolutely do engage people in all sorts of opportunities,” staff said.
Jaggley also cited two bills she said had been proposed at the state level—House Bill 893 and Senate Bill 710—that would have limited shutoffs for reasons including medical illness and protections for infants and low-income seniors; she noted those bills “died in committee” but urged the town to consider local protections regardless of state action.
The council did not take formal action at the meeting. Town staff said they would pass Jaggley’s materials to the town attorney for review and follow up with the resident.
What happens next: Town staff will review the statutory references and the town attorney will advise whether the town’s current late-fee practices and shutoff procedures comply with state law and PUC guidance; council members and staff said payment plans and social-service referrals remain available in the meantime.
