Arnold wants to renegotiate with water authority for shutoffs

Arnold officials want the leverage of being able to shut off water service to residents who don’t pay their sewage bills.

They just don’t want to pay quite so much for that power.

Under an agreement with the Municipal Authority of the City of New Kensington, the water supplier to Arnold and surrounding communities, Arnold officials can order a shutoff when sewage bills, which are administered by Arnold, aren’t being paid.

But the city has to pay the authority for the shutoff, typically around $50, and a similar fee when water service is restored.

The agreement also calls for the city to pay the authority for lost revenue while the water is off — a scenario city officials said could be expensive.

“If (the occupant) had five kids or eight kids and used a lot of water, that’s what we pay,” city Manager Mario Bellavia said.

Some shutoffs are at properties that were subsequently abandoned and remain abandoned. In that situation, the reimbursement meter continues to run, according to Bellavia. He said, in past years, those bills ran into tens of thousands of dollars.

City Treasurer Cathy Ozdany said some structures had water shut off as far back as 2014 and the city continues to pay the lost revenue.

“We can’t keep paying for places that will never be used again,” Bellavia said.

City officials have not responded to calls seeking specific figures on the billing, but municipal authority officials said, at least of this year, the charges have been minimal.

In 2024, Arnold has paid the authority $150 for shutoffs, according to Jim Matta, authority manager.

Still, Arnold officials want to renegotiate its agreement with the authority, which dates to 2013. City council instructed Solicitor Jacqueline Shaw to seek new terms.

A decision on whether to renew the agreement is pending. If the city decides to opt out, it would have to give a 60-day notice to the municipal authority in July.

Bellavia said only the authority can shut off water service.

Council faces a conundrum if it decides to opt out of the authority agreement because it would lose leverage over sewage deadbeats.

“If we don’t continue the agreement, then we have no way of shutting off the water,” Bellavia said.

Matta said the authority would entertain having a conversation with Arnold officials for shutoffs.

“We always like to be good neighbors with the City of Arnold, and we would be willing to sit down and entertain any agreements we have with them,” Matta said.

Staff writer Kellen Stepler contributed to this report.