Water and Sewer Bill in Dispute and Under Review
A $24,000 water and sewer bill, in which the Village of Brewster imposed retroactively on two long time residents, is now in dispute as Thomas and Anna Almond came face to face with the village board last Wednesday—and brought an attorney with them.
The Almonds, who were charged a sewer bill of $12,176.49 and a water bill of 11,870.70 for four apartment units and six years of back pay due to a malfunctioning meter that undercharged them for years, brought attorney Ray Nicotera to address the board publicly. Nicotera, a certified public accountant, who is from Westchester County, is currently working with village clerk Peter Hansen to determine if the bill sent to the Almonds actually amounts to $24,000.
While Nicotera said he doesn’t believe anything was done intentionally, he hopes “there’s something wrong here.” He also questioned how many other meters in the village have malfunctioned, leading to residents paying more or less than they owe.
Because a board resolution already passed allowing the village to charge the Almonds that amount it calculated, Nicotera requested the board pass a motion to keep the charge in limbo until a further investigation is complete regarding the bill.
And if that wasn’t the case, Nicotera threatened to take the case to court.
“I really don’t want to pursue legal remedies, I want to do this appropriately, I don’t want to cost the town money,” he said. “I just want to help these poor folks.”
The board passed a resolution unanimously keeping a stay on the bill 4-0, with mayor Jim Schoenig not in attendance. By passing the resolution, deputy mayor and trustee Christine Piccini said the bill is now under review.
“We did not act on any timeline to do anything by so everything can just (stay as it is) until this is all resolved and then we can certainly make decisions when all the information is placed in front of us,” Piccini said.
Nicotera also questioned how the village could charge such a large sum of money to any unit that residents would actually be willing to pay and added he believes the village should be cautious in imposing such a huge, retroactive bill on the Almonds.
“The amount is obviously astronomical,” he said. “This is my first experience I’m having with the Village of Brewster water and sewer, I would wonder why anyone would buy a home in this area if they’re paying 5,500 a year for water and sewer because that’s what it would amount to.”
The matter seems to be now tabled and delayed for a month, though it could be pushed back even later than that.
Both Thomas and Anna Almond are senior citizens and are on a fixed income. Thomas is in a wheel chair and attached to an oxygen tank. Their son, who lives in one of the units, is disabled. The other two units are rented out and all the units are located on Oak Street.
Outside village hall after talking to the board, Nicotera said he thought the board acted “responsibly” and “compassionately” by tabling the matter for now and that the board understands the difficult circumstance the Almonds face.
When asked what legal leg the Almonds could stand on, Nicotera declined to discuss that because the process with the village has been cooperative and he didn’t want to interfere with that. Going forward, Hansen is providing a paper trail to Nicotera.
“My position is to make sure these folks receive the appropriate treatment,” he said.
