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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-07-26-WSAB-min(`OJ51 MOgryi'Y Minutes g o y r7s c Lexington Water and Sewer Abatement Board w 201 Bedford Street 3 x Lexington, MA 02420 APRIL 1 9'" INGT July 26, 2012 �� APPROVED 9/13/12 Attendance: Board Members: Loren Wood, Chair and Maria Constantinides, Member. Staff: Rob Addelson, Assistant Town Manager for Finance, Bill Hadley, DPW Director, Erik Gitschier, Water /Sewer Superintendent, Elizabeth Tucker and Robin Fullford, Utility Billing Chair Loren Wood called the meeting to order at 4:32 pm. The order of business was conducted as follows: Status Report Ms. Fullford provided a status report as follows: 44 To be heard tonight 2 Appeals 49 Pending 95 Total APPEALS DISCUSSIONS: 2 Hayes Lane — VFW — Abatement discussion Mr. Addelson presented his recommendation to further abate this account $1,150.35 plus the interest associated with the bill due to a double payment on a liened water bill. Although members of the association dispute the possibility that the VFW would have used the amount of water for which they were billed from 2002 -2007, the Town takes the position that the meter accurately recorded their usage. It was moved by Ms. Constantinides, seconded by Mr. Wood and voted unanimously to approve the recommendation to further abate $1,150.35 plus associated interest as presented 8 April Lane Members of the board reviewed the calculation presented. Ms. Fullford stated that no mitigating circumstances arose that would warrant a further abatement. The board reaffirmed its original decision. Appeals: 2 Hayes Lane Mr. Addelson summarized his new calculation to Mr. Donald Martin, representative of the VFW. Mr. Addelson explained how he arrived at the recommendation to further abate this account $1,150.35 plus interest. Mr. Martin stated he personally is satisfied and thanked the Town for its efforts but also stated that other members of his organization intend to take their appeal to the Board of selectmen. 8 April Lane The homeowners did not attend the meeting. The WSAB approved abatement of - $2641.04 will be recommended to the selectmen Approval of minutes: It was moved by Ms. Constantinides, seconded by Mr. Wood and voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the June 28, 2012 meeting as presented. Disposition of Abatement Requests: (`OJ51 MOgryi'Y Minutes g o y r7s c Lexington Water and Sewer Abatement Board w 201 Bedford Street 3 x Lexington, MA 02420 APRIL 1 9'" INGT July 26, 2012 �� Domestic Leaks 15 April Lane (Revisit) The homeowners filed for an abatement on bill #694896, an estimate of 100 hcf. We had estimated the usage since 2008 when the homeowners installed a deck over the pad so that we were unable to obtain readings. The meter was changed on 6/6/12 with an outread of 1080 indicating that we had grossly under estimated the usage. Staff had made several attempts to gain access to change the meter, run a new wire, and install an accessible pad. No postcard reads were returned by the homeowner. A staff visit on 6/6/12 revealed a toilet with new components that the homeowners said they repaired last fall. The redistribution evenly apportions the total usage but cannot show spiked usage from a leak. In view of that, we recalculated 694898 and 681148 at tier one rates to acknowledge the leak. Staff recommends an abatement of - $6,200.73. 67 Baker Avenue The homeowners applied for an abatement after receiving bill #707392. This account was previously granted a leak based abatement on bill #693497 in the amount of - $86.85. The homeowner had had a toilet repaired and provided a receipt. However, it is clear that the leak continued into the spring billing period. We established the average spring usage at 31 and recalculated all usage at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $150.54 17 Carol Lane The former homeowners applied for an abatement on Final bill #719374. A staff visit revealed a leaking toilet in need of a fluid master. We established the average spring usage at 22 and recalculated all usage at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $1,970.23 53 Cary Lane This is a rental unit. The tenant applied for an abatement on bill #717752. A staff visit revealed a leaking toilet for which the homeowner provided a plumber's invoice. Also, the meter outread of 672 confirmed that we had over estimated the usage. We established ADU and derived the usage for bill #717752 at 25. Staff recommends an abatement of - $412.03 11 Cider Mill Lane The homeowners applied for an abatement after receiving bill #719092. A staff visit revealed 2 leaking toilet; the homeowners provided a plumber's receipt for repair. We established the average spring usage at 49 and recalculated all but 9 units at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $836.61 30 Estabrook Road The homeowners applied for an abatement after receiving bill #714725. A staff visit revealed a leaking toilet and the homeowners provided a Home Depot receipt. We established the average spring usage at 30 and recalculated all usage at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $98.43 46 Fifer Lane The homeowner filed an abatement application after receiving bill #715409. Staff found a toilet leaking and confirmed the reading with an outread of 816. The homeowner had the toilet repaired and provided a receipt. The three year spring average usage is 33; therefore we recalculated all usage at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $368.50 20 Flintlock Road 2 (`OJ51 MOgryi'Y Minutes g o y r7s c Lexington Water and Sewer Abatement Board w 201 Bedford Street 3 x Lexington, MA 02420 APRIL 19'" INGT July 26, 2012 The tenant applied for an abatement on bill #711777. Staff adjusted two toilets leaking in overflow. The 3 year spring average usage is 23; therefore we recalculated all usage at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $75.27 31 Fletcher Avenue - Rejected At 31 Fletcher Avenue there are several living units. Units 10 and 11 were both owned by Jefferson Union Realty Trust. We recorded high usage at #11 and urged the owners to pursue a leak. Ultimately, Jefferson was awarded a leak -based abatement on Bill #s 700412, 686634 and 669055. It turned out that the meters for Units 10 and 11 were reversed and the leaks were actually in Unit 10 and had not been fixed as illustrated in bill #714330. It took several months to gain access to all of the units and to ascertain what meters were actually installed in each unit. This involved running water in each unit and observing which meter responded. Unit 11 has since been sold and the correct reading was used for the final but we did not include Bill #714330 as we now knew it was actually the usage for Unit 10 which had changed ownership on 11/29/11. It seems unfair to charge the new owner of #10 with Bill #714330. It is impossible to know how the meter mix up happened in the first place or who is responsible. Regardless, staff feels that because we were unable to alert Jefferson to the leak at Unit 10, we share some responsibility. Staff recommends abating Bill #714330 entirely 15 Frances Road The homeowner applied for an abatement after receiving bill #716560. A staff visit revealed a leak and confirmed the postcard reading. The leak was repaired and the homeowner provided a receipt. The three year spring average usage is 23 hcf; therefore all usage was recalculated at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $368.50 This recommendation was subsequently withdrawn when staff identified an error. It will be corrected at the next meeting 23 Greenwood Street When the meter was replaced on 5/18/09 the new meter was installed backwards. On 6/25/12 the new meter was replaced with an outread of 9928. The total amount used is 10000 - 9928 = 72 units the account should have billed. This calculation redistributes the correct usage of 72 since the initial meter change. Staff recommends an abatement of - $179.49 360 Lowell Street The homeowner filed an abatement application after receiving bill #706675. Staff performed a leak inspection in June and found a toilet leaking. The homeowners fixed the toilet themselves and provided a receipt for the parts. Their 3 year average spring usage was established at 49 so all but 9 hcf were recalculated at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $275.32 121 Marrett Road The homeowners daughter applied for an abatement after taking over his expenses. A staff visit revealed a leaking toilet and the homeowner identified a leak in the irrigation system. The homeowners do not have a second meter for irrigation. They provided a statement from Eastern Brothers Irrigation that a leak had been repaired in the fall of 2011. We established the 3 year average spring and fall usages at 45 and 114 respectively. On bill #708192 all but 5 hcf were recalculated at tier one rates. On bill #694298 we recalculated the excess usage of 100 hcf tier one rates no sewer. On bill #662976 we recalculated the excess at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $3,451.33 282 Marrett Road The homeowner applied for an abatement because he believed his meter had stopped working. A manual read of 864 had been obtained from the visual for the spring billing. A staff visit on 6/5/2012 did not reveal any leaks. The meter and visual reader were replaced: the outread was 865. While we do suspect there had been a leak, none (`OJ51 MOgryi'Y Minutes g o y r7s c Lexington Water and Sewer Abatement Board w 201 Bedford Street 3 x Lexington, MA 02420 APRIL 1 9'" INGT July 26, 2012 �� were found during a staff visit nor has the homeowner provided evidence of a leak. Staff recommends waiving any interest associated with bill # 708235. 1433 Massachusetts Avenue The homeowners applied for an abatement after receiving bill #719306. A staff visit revealed two toilets leaking in overflow and they were adjusted. We established the average spring usage at 39 and recalculated all usage at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $28.95 371 North Emerson Road The homeowners applied for an abatement on bill #714002. A staff visit revealed new parts in a toilet and the homeowner provided a receipt. The 3 year spring average usage is 45; therefore we recalculated all but 5 units at tier one rates. This customer receives a $50.00 discount from each billing for participating in lead & copper testing. Staff recommends an abatement of - $69.48 52 North Hancock Street This is an irrigation account. Last fall the homeowners applied for an abatement on bill #697205. Staff told them that if in the spring they could demonstrate that there had been a leak in their irrigation system we would process their application. In May they provided an invoice for the repair of a leak in the system. We established their three year average usage at 35 hcf and recalculated the excess of 97 hcf at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $294.88 48 Outlook Drive This is a house that has been empty for 5 years. The trustee called after receiving bill #718091. A staff visit revealed two leaking toilets for which a repair receipt was received. The average usage is zero so we recalculated 167 hcf at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $1,422.63 75 Outlook Drive - Withdrawn The homeowners applied for an abatement after receiving bill #718104. A staff visit revealed a leaking toilet. A plumber turned off the water to the toilet. He has ordered parts because the toilet is old. We established the average spring usage at 60 and recalculated all but 20 hcf at tier one rates. Withdrawn until the repairs are done 27 Partridge Road The homeowners applied for an abatement after receiving bill #717126. The homeowners identified and repaired a toilet leak. They provided a picture of the repair parts but were unable to produce a receipt. They also provided data that suggests their usage is back down to pre -leak levels. We established the average spring usage at 67 and recalculated all but 27 units at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $1,102.02 18 Patterson Road The homeowner filed an abatement application after receiving bill #715232. Staff performed a leak inspection in June and found a toilet leaking and in need of a fluid master. The homeowner had the toilet repaired and provided a Home Depot receipt. The usage indicated the toilet may have been leaking for some time so we went back to 2010, 2009, and 2008 to establish average usage at 49. In this calculation, all but 9 hcf are recalculated at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $63.69 16 Percy Road The homeowners applied for an abatement after receiving bill #710149. A staff visit revealed a leaking toilet and the homeowner provided a receipt for its repair. The 3 year spring average usage is 23; therefore we recalculated all usage at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $69.48 E (`OJ51 MOgryi'Y Minutes g o y r7s c Lexington Water and Sewer Abatement Board w 201 Bedford Street 3 x Lexington, MA 02420 APRIL 1 9'" INGT July 26, 2012 �� 5 Pheasant Lane The homeowners applied for an abatement after receiving bill #717289. A staff visit revealed a toilet in need of a fluid master. The homeowners provided a receipt for repair parts. We established the average spring usage at 24 and recalculated all usage at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of -$5.79 8 Saddle Club Road The homeowners applied for an abatement after receiving bill #712857. A staff visit revealed 3 leaking toilets. The homeowners provided a plumber's receipt for repairs to the toilets. We established the average spring usage at 83 and recalculated the excess usage at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $451.77 86 Spring Street The homeowners applied for an abatement after receiving bill #718478. A staff visit revealed a toilet leaking in overflow; it was adjusted and no longer leaking. They also observed a toilet with a new fluid master. We established the average spring usage at 51 and recalculated all but 11 units at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $400.64 17 Webster Road The homeowner applied for an abatement on bill # 709134. He typically uses very little, if any water during the winter and in fact he lives in Medford. He provided a receipt for the parts to repair a toilet. Since the average spring usage is zero, we recalculated all usage at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $162.12 16 Williams Road The homeowners received a leak -based abatement on bill #697303 for 64 hcf for $110.01. The leak continued into the next billing period and the homeowner filed for a second abatement on bill # 711207. The average spring usage is 45 hcf therefore we recalculated all but 5 units at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of - $110.01 It was moved by Ms. Constantinides, seconded by Mr. Wood and voted unanimously to approve these leak based abatements as presented with the exception of 31 Fletcher Lane and 75 Outlook Drive Redistributions 134 Bedford Street This account had been estimated since a postcard reading in 2002. The meter outread was 4769 indicating we had over estimated. We established ADU and derived usage to recalculate the charges. Staff recommends an abatement of - $2,133.34 18 Greenwood Street When the meter was replaced on 5/18/09 the new meter was installed backwards. On 6/25/12 the new meter was replaced with an outread of 9928. The total amount used is 10000 - 9928 = 72 units the account should have billed. This calculation redistributes the correct usage of 72 since the initial meter change. Staff recommends an abatement of - $109.89 384 Marrett Road (`OJ51 MOgryi'Y Minutes g o y r7s c Lexington Water and Sewer Abatement Board w 201 Bedford Street 3 x Lexington, MA 02420 APRIL 1 9'" INGT July 26, 2012 �� This account had been estimated since 2007 until we were able to change the meter on 10/26/11. The outread caused a catch up bill for 122 hcf. We established ADU and redistributed the usage. Staff recommends an abatement of - $337.79 20 Parker Street The homeowners called after reading their meter and seeing that we had over estimated. A staff visit confirmed the homeowner's reading. This calculation redistributes the usage since the last "A" read on 9/29/2008 at 902 to the meter outread of 1231 on 6/18/2012. - $1,342.60 It was moved by Ms. Constantinides, seconded by Mr. Wood and voted unanimously to approve these redistribution abatements as presented Meter /Billing Issues 404 Concord Avenue After several estimates bill #718557 was estimated high and the homeowner applied for an abatement. We changed the meter and the outread of 1184 confirmed we over estimated. We established ADU and derived and recalculated the usage of 43. Staff recommends an abatement of - $3,395.63 181 Follen Road The homeowners applied for an abatement on bill #694208 due to an estimated bill. We believed the meter had failed and estimated a usage of 40 hcf. The house has been empty since August 2010. This calculation abates bill # 694208 entirely. Staff recommends an abatement of - $392.00 2377 Massachusetts Avenue We had been unable to read this meter since 2004. The homeowner sent occasional postcard readings but had not done so since 2010. A postcard mailed to us in May was received after the bill run was complete and the meter outread indicated we had over estimated. We calculated ADU from the last postcard read to the 6/1/12 meter outread of 572 and recalculated bill #s 714541, 700610, and 669159. The homeowner lives alone and often travels. Staff recommends an abatement of - $1,735.15 80 Reed Street This property was purchased by a builder as a tear down. We were not informed when the meter was pulled but the builder did pay the $25.00 fee for water use during the tear down process. We would have inactivated the account prior to the spring 2012 billing. At the time of the billing we assumed the outside pad was just missing and because we observed a new lawn had been established, we estimated usage at 100 hcf. Staff recommends abating bill # 716195 entirely in the amount of - $1,485.40 and all associated interest. 29 Shirley Street The homeowners applied for an abatement upon discovering that their four family rental is eligible for multi -unit rates. This was confirmed with the Assessor's data base. Because four family properties are billed at tier one rates for the first 160 hcf, all usage was recalculated at tier one rates. The owners agreed to a three year refund. Staff recommends an abatement of - $3,001.87 33 Shirley Street The homeowners applied for an abatement upon discovering that their two family residence is eligible for the multi - family rate. This was confirmed in the Assessor's data base. Because two family properties are charged tier 0 (`OJ51 MOgryi'Y Minutes g o y r7s c Lexington Water and Sewer Abatement Board w 201 Bedford Street 3 x Lexington, MA 02420 APRIL 19'" INGT July 26, 2012 one rates for the first 80 hcf, we have recalculated all usage at tier one. The owners requested a refund for the past three years. Staff recommends an abatement of - $844.37 12 Stedman Road This is an irrigation account. The homeowners filed for an abatement on bill #694675. They believed they must have had a leak in their irrigation system but had winterized it. In the spring they did not find any leaks and paid the bill in full. Staff recommends abating all interest that accumulated on bill #694675. 49 Turning Mill Road The homeowner misread the meter on a postcard read. On 6/11/12 we changed the meter with an outread of 1048. We established ADU and derived a usage of 48 for the billing period. The unbilled 11 hcf will be captured in the fall 2012 billing. Staff recommends an abatement of - $1,368.01 100 Wood Street The homeowner filed an abatement application after receiving bill #718797. This is a case of a visual device not keeping up with the actual meter. Accordingly, we established spring average usage at 25 hcf and recalculated Bill # 718797 at 25 hcf. Staff recommends an abatement of - $1,099.46 It was moved by Ms. Constantinides, seconded by Mr. Wood and voted unanimously to approve these Meter /Billing Issue abatements as presented Schedule future meeting date: The board will next meet on August 30, 2012. Adjourn It was moved by Ms. Constantinides, seconded by Mr. Wood and voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 6:34 PM. Respectfully submitted, Robin Fullford Fund Manager 7