Mam’k Flood Fee Flounders

Home Mamaroneck Mam'k Flood Fee Flounders Mam’k Flood Fee Flounders WJWW Refuses to Collect Extra Charges By Lou Young - November 12, 2026 186 0 The new Village of Mamaroneck Flood Fee is not being collected and may never be. The controversial addition to the monthly water bill , passed to finance storm water improvements, was rejected by the Westchester Joint Water Works as illegal.  The WWJW simply will not collect it. In documents obtained by The Loop, the Water Works attorneys echo what many initial critics of the idea expressed before the Board of Trustees: What does storm flooding even have to DO with home water usage? WJWW attorney Lori Lee Dixson wrote to Village Attorney Steven Pambianchi on September 23rd rejecting the Village’s legal justification for the fee. “While I appreciate your attempt to justify what I have determined by legal research to be without authority,” she said “I have advised WJWW against including a flood mitigation fee in the guise of sewer rent on forthcoming invoices to Village of Mamaroneck consumers. The stormwater system is wholly separate from its sanitary sewer and a fee which is calculated based on water consumption’s no bearing on water entering the stormwater system.”  She concluded “WJWW can’t be party to action that will lead to liability.” The water system is a joint venture of the Village and Town of Mamaroneck with the Town of Harrison. Village of Mamaroneck Mayor Sharon Torres is one of three members of the WJWW board so it is especially surprising that the waterworks seemed to be taken by surprise at the sudden appearance of a flood fee. Documents obtained through a FOIL request indicate the staff of WJWW first learned of the idea from the story published in The Loop on September 21st, just days before it was to take effect. This is one of several recent legal positions the Village has taken resulting in strong pushback from other government agencies.  This past Summer, the NY State Comptroller’s office openly chastised the Village for its public comments surrounding the termination of a long-running mosquito control program, and the Mamaroneck Union Free School District is suing the Village over its “stop work” order on a solar panel project at Mamaroneck Avenue School. Village Manager Kathleen Gill, an attorney herself, engineered the creation of the in-house legal department that has been behind the controversial actions.  She abruptly announced her imminent retirement this week after less than 2 years on the job. Author Lou Young Lou Young is a veteran journalist who has been honored with multiple awards including 10 Emmys. He retired in 2017 after 43 years in TV News and recently served a term as Trustee in the Village of Mamaroneck. View all posts First time here? Please... subscribe to our newsletter! Welcome back! Please subscribe to our newsletter! Just click here. Tags flooding Lori Lee Dixson Mamaroneck Union Free School District Mayor Sharon Torres NYS Comptroller's Office Steven Pambianchi Water ands Sewer Fees westchester joint water works Please note: If your comment doesn’t show up right away, sit tight; we have a spam filter that requires us to approve comments before they are published. Author Lou Young Lou Young is a veteran journalist who has been honored with multiple awards including 10 Emmys. He retired in 2017 after 43 years in TV News and recently served a term as Trustee in the Village of Mamaroneck. View all posts Facebook Email Print Copy URL Previous article Small Town Politics in “The Friendly Village” RELATED ARTICLES Mamaroneck Small Town Politics in “The Friendly Village” Blotter Larchmont Police Blotter News Mamaroneck Protesters Persist Post-Election