BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA -- Residents in the village of Massena are required to allow Department of Public Works employees to enter homes to inspect and repair broken water meters but village officials say a number of residents are holding out.

According to Mayor Greg Paquin, that means the village is forced to estimate water usage to bill the residents.

"So, if someone doesn't let us in, we just start to estimate and we continue to raise the estimate each month. We're not shutting the water off," Paquin said.

DPW Superintendent Marty Miller confirmed that was the case, saying his staff will put mailers out to residents who need a water meter inspection. But he said some are unwilling to comply, including one that hasn't since 2012.

"We can't just shut the water off. We just estimate and we continue to estimate at a higher rate until they let us in and sometimes that doesn't even work," Miller said.

Miller said he did have conversations with some residents after their meter readings were significantly higher than normal, however each had either filled pools or watered trees extensively.

"It's not because we put mailers on the door or whatever to allow us to come in and look. They called and we talked to them," Miller said.

In most cases a water meter is broken and needs repair or replacement. Village officials say the meter will read zero usage, which is clearly out of the ordinary, prompting DPW crews to seek a time to inspect the meter.

In some cases residents refuse to allow entry, officials say.

That process can be dragged out for years, complicating matters for DPW when it comes to billing and repairs.

Miller said in the case that residents refuse to pay a water bill certified letters will be sent to request payment. If residents continue to refuse to pay, the Department of Health will also be informed that water would be shut off at the curb.

Trustee Ken McGowan also touched on the issue, saying DPW crews are just trying to ensure there are no further issues down the road.

“I mean, if you let them in they’ll open the meter, maybe fix it and that’s it. That’s the whole purpose of this,” he said.

Village officials said the entry issues have been ongoing for many years in some cases, with one in particular dating back to 2012.

Ultimately, officials say they just want to ensure that water service continues uninterrupted for residents.

“Obviously we don’t want to keep increasing estimates but if people don’t allow inspections of water meters we have no choice but to raise them more over time,” the mayor said.