What's happening
This bill amends the law to require New York City Water Board charges to be based on actual water use, extends the period for challenging charges to six years, and allows not-for-profits ten years to dispute bills.
Why it matters
Ties water/sewer charges strictly to actual usage. By mandating that charges must be based on the real amount of water consumed or wastewater discharged, the bill eliminates estimated or minimum billing methods, ensuring customers pay only for what they use.
Extends the window for billing disputes. Increasing the standard challenge period from four to six years gives property owners and residents more time to discover errors or overcharges and seek corrections, potentially reducing financial risk from unnoticed billing mistakes.
Special protections for not-for-profit organizations. Allowing not-for-profits up to ten years to dispute water/sewer bills (including retroactive application to existing bills) provides these organizations, which often have limited administrative resources, more flexibility to identify and address billing problems.
Promotes accountability and transparency. By clarifying how charges must be calculated and extending dispute timeframes, the bill increases pressure on the Water Board to maintain accurate metering and billing practices, potentially reducing costly legal disputes and improving public trust.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Expand Water Bill Challenge Period
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Strengthen Water Bill Rules
In Senate Committee · Corporations, Authorities And Commissions · Sponsor Leroy Comrie
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6910
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 27, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. LENTOL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to the New York city water board
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 4 of section 1045-g of the public authorities law, as amended by chapter 467 of the laws of 2001, is amended to read as follows:
4. To establish, fix, revise, charge and collect and enforce the payment of all fees, rates, rents and other service charges for the use of, or services furnished, rendered, or made available by the sewerage system, water system, or both, as the case may be, owned by the water board pursuant to this title in such amount at least sufficient at all times so as to receive revenues which, together with other revenues available to the board, if any, shall be at least sufficient at all times so that such system or systems shall be placed on a self-sustaining basis in accordance with section one thousand forty-five-j of this title; provided, however, that the water board shall base such charges upon the actual amount of water consumed, or wastewater discharged to the sewer system, with no offset; and provided further that the water board shall not establish a limit of less than [four] six years commencing from the date of the bill for services to challenge any fee, rate, rent, or other service charges for the use of or services furnished by the water and/or sewerage systems; any such challenge shall specifically set forth the basis for such claim; and provided further that, with respect to not-for-profit institutions, the challenge period shall be ten years, which shall apply to all not-for-profit institutions who are determined to have incurred such a bill for services prior to the effective date of this statute;
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10552-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.