Emilia Teasdale reports in the Columbia Paper that the Chatham Village Board's new zero tolerance policy for late water and sewer bills seems to be working. At a July 8 meeting the board voted to return to a local law that requires payment within 60 days or water service will be shut off, with a one-time 10 percent penalty on bills paid after 30 days. While once the bills unpaid after 60 days totaled as much as $30,000, but in the latest billing, only $173 was in arrears. Mayor John Howe said that he visited some of those late with payments. “I went to some houses,” he said, and reported at the Aug. 12 Chatham meeting only one village property with water shut-off due to an unpaid bill. Read more about this story in the Columbia Paper.