The Town of Tryon is looking into ways to collect approximately $50,000 worth of delinquent water bills as well as possibly doing an audit to ensure current bills are correct.
Council met March 19 and discussed differing concerns over delinquent water bills. Of the total delinquent, approximately $29,000 comes from inactive accounts and approximately $21,000 is from active accounts.
Commissioner Wim Woody said the town needs to enforce its policy. Once people are behind, he said, they won’t ever catch up.
The town’s current ordinance on active accounts says water is to be shut off after 30 days of non-payment. Under this policy, a notification is printed on all water bills that service will be discontinued seven days after
the due date. When a cutoff day falls on any day town hall is not open, the cutoff day will be the next day of operation, states the town’s current ordinance. To connect the service, the customer must pay a $35 reconnect fee plus all unpaid bills.
Commissioner George Baker said the town needs to start fresh and send customers a letter delinquent saying they have so many days to pay their bill.
“People who are actively using water and sewer, they need to be cut off,” said Baker.