Mayor David Gordon and the Town of Alberton have resolved their dispute over a sewer bill. According to the settlement reached in mediation, Gordon will pay more than $3000 by mid-October to pay for the sewer fees accumulated over the course of 18 years beginning in 18.

The total payment will be made in installments that are set to expire in September 2020.

The agreement came in mid-September following an all-day mediation session. The mediation involved several attorneys representing the town and the mayor. The mediation was overseen by Frank Gillian and the town council ratified the agreement following the mediation session.

According to the mayor, “I am happy to have it behind us, and not only for myself; it is for the new council that is there, too. I do not want to put any more burdens on them.”

According to the mediator, the mayor’s sewer arrears grew so high thanks to “… a perfect storm of miscommunication, misunderstanding and missed opportunity, with neither party entirely blameless.”

At the time concerns about Gordon’s sewer arrears were raised by the town council, the total was just over $40,000. By the time mediation began that amount had risen to more than $42,000 based on the interest that had accumulated at a rate of two percent per month.

According to Gordon’s attorney, the misunderstanding about the money arise from his client’s belief that he did not need to pay the sewer rate because he was not connected to the town’s system. He also claimed to not know about the provision in the Water and Sewer At that deemed him connected because his property fronted the sewer line.