Town to Hash Out Who Gets Billed for $1M Water Project

There's a big question on the minds of 71 Towaco homeowners who could be billed thousands of dollars to cover a portion of a million-dollar water line project designed to give them the option to connect to the town's water system:

How much will they be billed—if they are billed at all?

Some residents expect they could end up paying around $10,000, and they are willing to pay the cost.

Other residents who don't belong to the Plausha Park Water Company, a private company that approached the town about getting on the town's system, and have their own wells, don't believe they should be billed.

Some Plausha Park members said they should not have to pay more than the standard $3,600 connection fee and are interested in exploring other options.

The town said they won't know until after the project is complete how much residents will be billed. The issue will be discussed in later meetings.

"We could assess you zero, or we could assess you some other number," Mayor Tim Braden told a resident during Tuesday's Township Committee meeting. He said the committee will be fair.

Assessments can be appealed, and sometimes wind up in court, township attorney Martin Murphy said.

The Montville Township Committee has approved a law that, like the law it replaces, authorizes borrowing up to $900,000 to fund the project. Up to $600,000 of that amount could be covered by the affected homeowners.

The revised law brought 10 additional homeowners into the mix of residents who could have to pay for the project, and appropriates more money for the project because bids came in higher than estimates.

Redding Place resident James Rumrill attended the meeting to learn more about the project and how much it could end up costing him.

"It's important because our water system is so old something is going to give out on it," he said.

Township attorney Martin Murphy on Tuesday stressed the ordinance authorizes borrowing money and "contemplates paying for part of it as an assessment program."

"It does not say what the assessment will be or when it will happen," he said, adding that the details would be discussed in subsequent meetings. "There might be properties that aren't assessed."

Plausha Park treasurer Glenn Marsnick said he has heard from some Plausha Park Water Company members they feel the project should be delayed or taken in a different direction.

Resident Frank Lechleiter said he wasn't able to connect to the Plausha Park system or the town's system, so he installed a well.

As a result, he doesn't want to be billed.

"It might be legal, but given the history, it just ain't right," he said.