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Letter: Eastchester Supervisor Colavita Addresses United Water Issues

EASTCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Eastchester Daily Voice accepts signed letters to the editor. Please send letters to eastchester@dailyvoice.com

Eastchester Supervisor Anthony Colavita alerted residents to a billing discrepancy with United Water.

Eastchester Supervisor Anthony Colavita alerted residents to a billing discrepancy with United Water.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Flickr user FlipMode79

Dear Town Residents & United Water Customers:

Every year the Town of Eastchester pays United Water for fire hydrant maintenance and repair based upon the number of United Water fire hydrants installed in our town. This year the payment will be $513,000.

The Eastchester Fire District contributes twenty eight percent of that total amount each year as well. The rate of payment is approved by the New York State Public Service Commission and unfortunately has been increasing substantially each year.

In October of 2013, Governor Cuomo signed a law that permitted city, town and village governments who have United Water service to pass along the entire payment for fire hydrant maintenance directly to the rate payers and remove the obligation of the town to pay it from our budget.

Each city, town and village had the option of passing the hydrant charges to the United Water customers directly or continue to pay the fire hydrant maintenance fee from the town budget.

The Town of Eastchester Town Board decided not to pass along the payment and continue paying United Water directly for the charge for all of the properties located in the Town of Eastchester. United Water recently sent out its quarterly water bill to its customers in our town and two villages. The surcharge is called Municipal Public Fire Protection Surcharge (MPFP) on your water bill.

Please check your bill for the MPFP surcharge because only property owners in the two villages should pay the surcharge. If your property is located in the town outside the two villages you are not obligated to pay the surcharge. United Water admitted that they made an error on the bill by including the MPFP surcharge on properties located in the Town of Eastchester outside of the two villages. They used post office addresses instead of ascertaining the actual property location.

We sent United Water a list of all the properties located in each village and the town outside the two villages and they are correcting their billing. We have been advised by United Water that anyone with property located in the Town of Eastchester, outside the two villages, who were incorrectly billed will be exempt in the future from the surcharge and will be credited in your next bill with the amount of the surcharge if you have already paid your bill. Please check your bill. You can reach United Water by contacting them directly at 914-632-6900 or 1-866-487-1217 or via email at UWNRcustomerservice@unitedwater.com.

Very truly yours,

Anthony S. Colavita

Supervisor

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