Small theater group gets $9,000 water bill

PHOENICIA, N.Y., April 5 (UPI) -- A small, local theater group in upstate New York was surprised to get a $9,000 quarterly water bill when it usually pays only $30 a year.

Shandaken Theatrical Society President Linda Burkhardt told The (Kingston, N.Y.) Daily Freeman she had heard the water district had just adopted a rate increase, but this was absurd.

"The show we did during the billing period was 'Steel Magnolias,' not 'Waterworld,'" she said.

Hoping to get to the bottom of things, Burkhardt discovered there was no grievance method to challenge water charges. She could not even find out who was in charge of the water district.

The water commissioner is only responsible for operating the system. The town clerk's office sends out bills but does not handle policy.

A water district committee that used to handle such matters was abolished by the town board in the 1990s.

Burkhardt is still not sure where she could have gone for relief, but it turned out the theater's water meter was faulty, she said.

She got a second bill, for $50.

Shandaken Supervisor Robert Cross Jr. said the town board is now also the water district committee.