Dartmouth board approves payment plan and interest waiver for homeowner billed after multi-year billing error

The Dartmouth Board of Public Works on June 23 authorized a payment plan and directed the collector’s office to waive interest for a homeowner who received back-billed water and sewer charges after a long-standing billing routing error.

Superintendent Tim told the board the property at 569 Elm Street had not been billed since around 2015 due to a missing routing number and that the town followed its policy to bill back two years (to 2024). The water usage billed for the two-year period totaled $2,187.09 and sewer charges totaled $1,778; staff recommended working with the property owner on a payment plan and removing interest charges.

The property owner (recorded in the meeting as Mr. Mahalin) told the board he purchased the house in late 2022, leased it to a tenant in 2023 who agreed to pay utilities, and did not receive bills because mail continued to go to the prior owner. "I don't feel as though I want to be on the hook for a bill that was never issued..." the owner said, asking the town to bill from the date he began occupying/using the service. Superintendent Tim recommended a two-year back-billing payment plan, confirmation that the back-billing period was limited to two years, and waiver of interest; Mr. Gagne moved to approve that approach and the board voted yes.

Tim said staff will report progress at the next board meeting and work with the collector to remove interest and, where appropriate, shutoff/turn-on fees. The motion directed staff to set a reasonable payment schedule and to waive interest during the plan.