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Board orders repair after bypass found; sewer rate raised to $2.30 per 100 gallons
Summary
Staff found a bypassed water meter at 415 South Windsor Street; the board ordered a permanent fix, authorized possible inspections of other properties and set the sewer rate at $2.30 per 100 gallons while billing is adjusted to reflect corrected usage.
Town staff reported that plumbing at 415 South Windsor Street allowed water to bypass the meter. The operator inspected the site and documented a lever that diverted flow around the meter. Selectboard members directed the property owner to make a permanent repair and discussed the possibility of inspecting other properties for similar issues.
Rita recommended using a conservative billing basis for the period in question; staff proposed billing the account for 193,254 gallons based on a five-cycle average of prior usage. The board also voted to set the sewer rate at $2.30 per 100 gallons (up from $1.91) to reflect FY27 budget pressures and system costs. Board members asked staff to send a compliance letter requiring the owner to fix the bypass within a set time and to invite the property owner or maintenance staff to the next meeting if needed.
The board emphasized fixing the plumbing first so that future meter readings accurately reflect consumption and then determining any retrospective billing or enforcement actions after a monitoring period.
