Local business owner presses council over years of water overcharges; council directs $50 credit option

Scott Morris, who identified himself as owner of SunPower Off Road, told the Town Council on July 28 that his business has received repeated water bills that he says were far higher than his actual usage.

Morris said he had a long-running dispute over meter reads and billing errors, including a past problem with a misplaced decimal that ultimately led to audit credits. "It's about the water bill, and I paid both my water bills," Morris said, describing previous refunds he said totaled roughly $5,600 after years of corrected charges. He told the council his water had been disconnected around July 13 and that he paid a reconnection fee; he asked the council to consider reimbursement or an adjustment for the disruption.

Town staff explained the utility had identified earlier errors and had audited the account when the decimal error was discovered. A staff member described the software and billing process that produced the incorrect reads and noted that reconnect fees are added to accounts once a disconnect is dispatched under the town ordinance. The clerk/billing representative confirmed Morris still had a running balance at the time of the June payment.

After discussion, Council members moved to direct staff to identify a compliant way to apply a $50 credit to Morris's account to address the reconnect/disconnect charge. "All information to approve Cheryl finding a way to make sure that he gets $50 credit and still stays in compliance," a council member said during the motion to authorize staff to find an accounting method that does not violate state board of accounts rules. Council approved that approach and asked staff to audit and document the adjustment so it can be justified in the town's accounting records.

Next steps: staff will perform the account audit, apply the agreed adjustment mechanism if possible, and report back to the council. If the clerk determines the credit cannot be administered without violating accounting rules, staff will return to council with alternative options.