Select Board Votes to Halve Disputed Water Bill
Sturbridge Select Board halved a resident's disputed water bill after a 219,440-gallon usage spike went unexplained.
Select Board · Meeting of August 3, 2026
Sturbridge Select Board halved a resident's disputed water bill after a 219,440-gallon usage spike went unexplained. Jennifer Olsen Pratt of 15 Apple Hill Road told the board her Pentair filtration system "only can spit out this much max," capping at 1.5 gallons per minute, and said no leak was found on her property. Board members cited conflicting bill figures between $3,600 and $7,000 and debated whether a town water meter could have intermittently misread her usage after nearby hydrant flushing.
The board voted unanimously to abate the bill by 50 percent as a future bill credit, then amended the motion to let the finance director decide between a credit or direct refund. Separately, the board approved a National Grid petition to install a utility pole on Gardner Avenue after National Grid representative Robert Williams and a resident discussed road-safety placement concerns, and filled three town board vacancies, including appointing Maxine Carter-Lohm to the Historical Commission.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,121 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of August 3, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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