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Director says $160,000 appropriation will cover unpaid Constellation electricity bills; council approval needed
Summary
Middletown’s water director told the WPCA that an automatic Constellation account went unpaid for about six months, prompting a $160,000 appropriation request from the water fund to pay 2024 electricity charges; final action must be taken by the Common Council.
Director Joseph Fazino told the Water Pollution Control Authority on Feb. 25 that a supplier account set up with Constellation had gone unmanaged after staff changes, causing about six months of unpaid electricity bills. Fazino said finance and the mayor’s office were engaged and that the department is requesting a $160,000 appropriation from the water fund balance to cover the unpaid 2024 charges so payments can be handled under the 2025 budget.
Fazino said the account was set up for automatic electronic billing and, following retirements and staff turnover, nobody maintained access to it. He said the department had about $200,000 in that electricity line when the prior year closed; the appropriation will ensure sufficient funds in the current year to pay the outstanding bills.
Chairman Gardner and other members clarified the accounting: the balance reverted to the water fund at year-end and this request represents an internal year-to-year shift rather than a new net cost. Fazino said the appropriation is informational to the WPCA and will be sent to the Common Council for formal action.
Fazino said department staff anticipate no lasting rate impact beyond any future rate-setting process and that finance staff are actively paying the outstanding invoices.
