Policy on Abatement or Adjustment of Water and/or Sewer Charges

City of Framingham Policy on Abatement or Adjustment of Water and/or Sewer Charges

Issue date: April 1, 2025

Type of policy: New () Amendment (X) Effective date: April 1, 2025

This Policy Replaces Town Policy on Abatement or Adjustment of Water and/or Sewer Charges effective December 2, 1999, amended October 27, 2009; and January 31, 2012, July 1, 2012 

This policy takes effect April 1, 2025

Level: Department () Division () City Wide (x) Policy Statement

Policy Description

The Mayor authorizes the Director of Public Works to implement this policy. The costs associated with the operation of the city's water and sewer services are paid for by user charges pursuant to an Enterprise Accounting System. These charges are determined by the amount of the service consumed, i.e., the number of water units in hundred cubic feet (HCF) used, or sewage treated. For billing purposes, the city assumes that sewage use equals water use. Customers are also charged for miscellaneous services such as meter testing, connection fees and other occasional services. Since errors can occur with the recording of meter readings, calculating charges for water and sewer services as well as the calculation of miscellaneous charges, it is the policy of the city to correct such errors and to make a corresponding adjustment in a customer’s bill.

This policy establishes the process by which a customer can obtain a review of a water and/or sewer bill and a determination regarding a customer's application for abatement or request for adjustment to the bill. The review period is limited to (3) three prior years of consumption history if applicable.

Requests for Abatements or Adjustments must be submitted within (30) thirty days of the utility bill date.

• Abatements are not retroactive and will only be considered for the current billing period.
• Adjustments are only eligible for previous billing periods due to overestimating or underestimating when the reading device is not functioning or in the case of a stopped meter.

It is the policy of the City that all water that passes through a meter will be charged. For billing purposes, sewage use equals water use.

Abatements are not eligible in cases of faulty plumbing, water closet leaks, faulty check valves, such as air conditioning units, water cooling towers, ice machines etc., willful waste of tenants, unexplained high water use or other similar type instances. Consideration for abatements of the sewer portion of the bill may be given to occurrences such as documented hot water tank ruptures or burst pipes. In these cases, supporting documentation is required verifying the water did not enter the sewer system.

• Toilet Leaks are not eligible for abatement.
• Abatements will be capped at $1,000.00 (One Thousand Dollars)
• The leak consumption must exceed 2 . 0 times the normal average usage for the preceding three years to qualify per the abatement policy.
• The “Ready to Serve” (RTS) fee is not eligible for abatement or adjustment proration.
• Irrigation usage is considered non-essential and is not eligible for abatement.

Applications for Water and Sewer Abatement or Adjustment will NOT be accepted on any account with previous outstanding balances, including interest and penalties. Customers are encouraged to pay the contested bill on or before the due date to avoid interest charges. Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) guidelines demand that interest charges accrue on accounts with unpaid balances after the due date. The Director of Public Works and/or Review Officer does not have the authority to put an account on “No Finance Charge” status.

Abatement requests will automatically be denied if more than two bills are returned from the USPS as non-deliverable within a twelve-month period.

If the customer chooses to have the meter tested, the customer forfeits the right to appeal if the meter is found to be recording accurately and within AWWA standards. There will be no abatement or adjustment to the bill in question if the meter is found to be recording accurately.

Customers are eligible to apply for an abatement once every five years.

The City of Framingham is not responsible for notifying customers of abnormally high usage or leaks. It is the responsibility of the property owner to maintain plumbing systems to avoid high consumption, such as leaks or broken pipes. The bill dispute process can take up to 8 weeks.

Special Terms:

1. Verification that the customer's premises were not connected to the system during the billing period.
2. Major water leaks that result in increased consumption of water and/or sewer:
   1. Toilet Leaks are not eligible for abatements.
   2. All abatements will be capped at $1,000.00 (One Thousand Dollars).
3. Filling of a new or repaired swimming pool will abate sewer charges only, with supporting documentation. A calculation may be performed based on the size of the pool to determine the amount of water used to fill the pool. Customers requesting a pool abatement must provide details on the capacity and size of the pool and must state the billing period in which the filling of the pool occurred. This adjustment does not apply to seasonal refilling or topping off.
4. Domestic water usage that did not enter the sewer system is only eligible for sewer abatement with supporting documentation. Irrigation usage is not eligible for abatement or adjustment.

B) Adjustment: A change in an issued utility bill due to clerical errors, including underestimation or overestimation made in calculating the utility bill or because it was demonstrated that the service was not used. Grounds for adjustments are at the discretion of the City, and may include the following:

1. Verification of the actual meter reading.
2. Recordings on the inside meter head and outside reader are different. The inside meter shall take precedence.
3. Estimated reading is higher or lower than the actual meter reading (excluding failed meters).
4. An error or miscalculation in a bill for miscellaneous services.
5. Parcels used for horticultural uses, with a dedicated irrigation meter may be eligible for a water rate adjustment if they meet the following criteria:

Land shall be considered to be in horticultural use when primarily and actively used in raising fruits, vegetables, berries, nuts and other foods for human consumption, for the purpose of selling these products in the regular course of business, and is five (5) acres or more. Parcels deemed eligible will receive an adjustment based on the tier 1 water rate.

C) Billing Period: The period of time between one reading of a meter (either actual or estimated) and a second reading of a meter (either actual or estimated) when the difference between such meter readings is used to calculate consumption of a utility service.

Procedure for Submission of Requests for Adjustments and Abatements:

Customers seeking abatement or adjustment must file the request using the official form available from the Department of Public Works, and the form must be filed in writing, email or by using the online submittable form. The request will be directed to a water billing employee designated by the Director of Public Works to process abatement applications and requests for adjustment, the "Review Officer". The Abatement Application can be found and submitted electronically at: https://www.framinghamma.gov/179/Right-to-Dispute-Your-Bill

Application for Water and Sewer Adjustment or Abatement will be date stamped by the Department of Public Works on the date they are submitted and forwarded for review. Upon receipt of an Application for Water and Sewer Adjustment or Abatement the Review Officer shall review consumption history provided by billing software and meter reading program. The Review Officer will determine eligibility of the request and take the following actions:

1. If the Review Officer determines that a billing adjustment or abatement as provided in this policy is necessary, the Review Officer will prepare a memorandum with the request and pertinent supporting documentation, which will be submitted to the Water & Sewer Business Manager for initial review, and the Director of Public Works Director or designee for final review.
2. If the Review Officer determines that an adjustment or abatement is not due on the account, the customer will be notified that the adjustment or abatement request is denied. The Review Officer will explain the grounds for denial of the request. Customers dissatisfied with the determination of denial may appeal the decision to a Review Board by a request in writing, emailed to the Review Officer. The Review Officer will forward the request for appeal and pertinent written documentation to the Review Board (Director of Public Works or designee, City Treasurer or designee and the City Chief Financial Officer or designee).
3. The Review Board will schedule a hearing to make a determination within (30) thirty calendar days from the date of the appeal request. The applicant will be notified of the determination via email.
4. In regards to adjustments due to a billing error, the Director of Public Works will verify the determination of the Review Officer and sign the determination to indicate approval within (30) thirty calendar days of receipt of the documentation from the Review Officer.

Record keeping:

The Department of Public Works will maintain a log of all abatement applications and requests for adjustment that includes the customer's name, account number, the reason for the abatement or adjustment request, and its resolution. The Department of Public Works will maintain a file of all Applications for Water and Sewer Abatements that includes the written application, the results of any investigation, the action taken, and the reasons therefore. The log shall be subject to the Public Records Law, with the customer account information redacted. Customers are eligible to apply for an abatement once every five years.

Interest Charges:

Customers are encouraged to pay the contested bill on or before the due date to avoid interest charges. Department of Revenue (DOR) guidelines limit the amount of interest, charges and fees that can be waived on an account to a maximum of $15.00. Furthermore, DOR guidelines demand that interest charges accrue on accounts with unpaid balances after the due date.

Abatement Application and Adjustment Request Decisions:

Should all or part of an abatement application or adjustment request be granted, any reimbursement to the customer, at the customer's option, would be credited against future bills or refunded. Refunds will be adjusted for any unpaid amounts due to the City (i.e., excise or property taxes).

Method of Giving Notice:

Customers will be given an option to select their preferred method of communication regarding their request: electronic or United States Postal Service (USPS). For the purpose of the time limitations in this policy, the date of the postmark on USPS communications directed to or from the Department of Public Works or the email date/time for electronic communications will be conclusive.