After not fulfilling an agreement in order to obtain a lower water deposit, the owners of Briarwood Estates in Plymouth will need to pay the full amount of the initial water deposit.
One of the owners explained in a previous meeting that she is the new owner of the property and asked the city council to lower the water deposit as she said some of that money would be used to improve the property. The deposit was $4,600.
The council agreed to lower it by half if she agreed to pay the balance of the current bill and pay it on time and enroll in an automatic withdrawal system for utility payments through the Clerk-Treasurer’s Office.
Clerk-Treasurer Jeanine Xaver told the council Monday night that the bills have been caught up and on-time, but the automatic withdrawal option has not been completed.
The council members discussed the fact that the council has shown the owners grace in the process, but failure to comply with the agreement prompted a motion to reinstate the full deposit.
Additionally, City Attorney Sean Surrisi noted that an internal schedule of rent payments does not quite coincide with the city’s collection of water and sewer payments which could result in water shut-offs.
Water shut-offs did concern the council members, but it is the policy.
In the end, the council agreed to give the owners until June 1 to pay the deposit or water will be shut-off. Surrisi is expected to send a letter to the homeowners in that area to warn them of the action.
