Brooklyn, NY – Councilman David G. Greenfield is making one final call for area residents and business owners to settle outstanding water and sewer bills and property taxes ahead of the city’s annual lien sale. The final day to resolve a dispute and avoid sale of a lien is May 7th. In addition to the sale of debt for those homeowners who are delinquent on water bills and property taxes, the Department of Environmental Protection will also terminate water service for homeowners who do not resolve their water debt.
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“I cannot stress how important it is to resolve these debts,” said Greenfield. “My office can help you work out a payment plan with the city and avoid what could be a crippling financial burden if your debt is sold.”
The amount a property owner owes is guaranteed to skyrocket once the lien is sold, because the lienholder is entitled to receive a 5% surcharge on the entire lien amount, plus 18% interest, compounded daily, and administrative fees associated with the sale of the lien.
Last week, Councilman Greenfield hosted a special communitywide outreach event where hundreds of area residents and business owners came in to resolve overdue water and sewer charges and avoid liens against their property. In addition to lien assistance, information was available regarding foreclosures, securing low-interest loans, the Senior Citizen Homeowners Property Tax Exemption Program (SCHE), and the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP).
“We were able to help over one hundred constituents last week, but there are hundreds of others who aren’t going to get the help they need before May 7. I urge anyone who thinks they might be impacted by this lien sale to call my office at 718-853-2704 for assistance.”
What Mr Greenfield isn’t telling these indviduals is:
1) If your water bill is less than 5,000 you’re probably gonna fly real low on the lien watch list.
2) The “payment plans” have compound interest that could amount to up to 9% of your water bill.
I have personally bargained down water bills by thousands on behalf of individuals. That is the best way to settle… make sure you pay down your bill as fast as you can and you’ll avoid interest.
They should have shut off these deadbeats long ago. Most of us pay our utility bills on time and we are also being charged tens of millions of dollars for those who don’t pay their bills. Its always the small guy who follows the rules who ends up paying for the greed or negligence of the big buys.
what is tghe city doing? negotiating with these homeowners to let them slide by at 20 cents on the dollar? not very fair to those of us who bust our butt to pay these bills in a timely manner.
Guess what!
It is only fair because I and my family have been paying since these charges started. Many of the procrasinaters were given deals to not argue about old charges WHILE EHRICHE ALREADY PAID!
so it pays not to pay and baragain? someone explain
Schumer watch out there is a Councilman that gives more press releases than you
How can the city charge for water which is free?
A big part of the problem is that the billing is not accurate on many older buildings using the older metering technology. The water bill for a small private home used now as a mikvah for our shul was running over $2200/month. At that level of water consumption, you would have thought that we had the most ehrlich and heilege kehillah in NYC since everyone would have had to be toivel twice a day to run up such a bill. After several calls the bill was adjusted downward by a substantial amount.
Do any one knows about a compeny t who can help me fight my water bill? the city charged me way over because i dont have my meter set up,
More than half the bill is for sewer charges. In most cases if you use water it goes someplace. Water is not free.
Those with pools that drain to the beach can fight the sewer bills.
Does this mean there will be more available parking in brooklyn?
Greenfeld might make it to the world of record on so many press releases and so little done
here in montreal we dont pay for water or sewer. But they get us with higher taxes on goods and services. Almost 13%.