NORWICH – At the City of Norwich joint committees meeting on Tuesday night, committee members voted in favor of developing a new policy in regards to the relief of sewer charges after two properties in the city experienced 'catastrophic losses' in the last few months resulting in excessive water bills.

Committee members voted unanimously to develop a new policy to be considered at the April 17 council meeting, after two water incidents in the last few months. One at Benedict Corporation, and one at a St. Bartholomew Church property were deemed catastrophic losses, resulting in excessive water flow that did not go into the drainage system.

Both Benedict Corporation and St. Bart's asked the city for relief after pipes bursting resulted in over three and a half times the properties' normal water usage.

The Common Council authorized relief to the Benedict Corporation at its March meeting, adjusting its bill by a total amount of $2,747.19 after determining the water from the pipes bursting did not go into the sewer, and that the amount lost compared to the property's normal water usage could be considered a catastrophic loss. The authorization was passed by a vote of 5-1, with Alderman Ward 2 Brian Doliver voting nay as he asserted at the time of the incident and presently, the city does not have a policy to offer relief.

The issue came to fruition again at Tuesday's joint committees meeting as members of St. Bart's contacted the city about a similar situation where a pipe malfunction led to one of its vacant property's basement being flooded. As a result of the flooding, the sewer bill reflected over a $4,000 difference in what was normally billed to the property.

Department of Public Works Assistant Superintendent George Carnrike suggested the city adopt a policy for a one-time per property relief of sewer charges in the event that a catastrophic loss occurs and the property owner can prove the water in question did not go into the sewer system.