SILVER CREEK, NY — Silver Creek residents are raising questions about their water bills, with some reporting charges in the thousands of dollars.
Gina Hallmark, a Silver Creek homeowner, said her most recent water bill stood out because of how high it was relative to actual usage.
"When I looked at the bill, I thought it was quite high since my daughter and my grandkids only lived in the home for two weeks out of the three months of service charge billing," Hallmark said.
Hallmark said the bill came in at over $250, despite the home being largely unoccupied during that period. She said she has owned the home since 2003, and that water bills have trended higher in recent years.
Another resident took to social media after receiving a bill exceeding $2,000 for a single billing period, with no clear explanation provided by the village.
"I just want an explanation on how long we have to cover this debt, in the village since it's been ongoing since I believe 2014, so it's now 2026 and it seems like it's been going for a long time," Hallmark said.
WATCH: Silver Creek residents left with questions after 'unusually' high water bills
I reached out to Silver Creek Mayor Kathy Tampio and Water Superintendent David Voight, but was told water billing matters fall under the Village Clerk.
I then contacted the clerk's office and was told the request would be forwarded back to the mayor. As of the time of this report, I had not received a response.
Meeting minutes from the Village Board's October 6, 2025 meeting show the board discussed and approved a water rate increase. Under the new rates, inside-village customers will pay $6.10 per 1,000 gallons, up from $5.08.
Outside-village customers will pay $10.60 per 1,000 gallons, up from $8.94. The board also added a new inside-village debt charge of $19.29 per quarterly billing. Sewer rates, water and sewer service charges, and sewer debt rates are not changing.
Mayor Jeffrey Hornburg noted at the October meeting that the village's code allows the board to set water and sewer rates, meaning the increases are not subject to a public referendum.
The village serves approximately 1,300 customer units, including residents in the surrounding town.
State Sen. George Borrello, who represents the area, addressed the issue of water and sewer debt at the August 12 meeting, responding to a question from a Silver Creek resident.
"There's a fixed cost to create that infrastructure and the less people that are paying that cost, the higher it is, the more of a burden it is on each on each person," Borrello said.
Borrello suggested that a regional approach, potentially connecting the village's water system with the North County Water District or Erie County Water, could help spread infrastructure costs across a larger base of users and make the village more competitive for grant funding.
He said his office is willing to help explore options, though he acknowledged he did not know enough about the specific debt to offer a definitive solution.
Hallmark said her biggest question for village leadership centers on the water meter debt and what steps the village plans to take going forward.
"My biggest question would be the water meter debt and what we're going to do further going into the future on this, to see what we can do to resolve this issue," Hallmark said.
