Light Board writes off $44,670 in unpaid bills

Municipal Light Board · Meeting of October 28, 2026

WELLESLEY — The Wellesley Municipal Light Board approved writing off $44,670.23 in uncollectible customer debt. Billing staff member Candace told the board the figure, covering 212 inactive accounts dating to fiscal 2021, mostly reflects former renters whose security deposits did not cover final bills, calling it "much better than it ever has been before." Management said the spike traces to a post-pandemic lapse in collections policy under prior leadership, now corrected with a new three-month deposit requirement. Separately, S&P Global Ratings affirmed the utility's AA rating with a stable outlook, noting its roughly 10,690 customers and $15 million cash reserve, covering 170 days of operating expenses, which the agency called borderline insufficient.

The board also voted unanimously on the write-off and moved into executive session to discuss the light department director's contract and non-union personnel negotiations.

In the full story:

• Call to Order and Approval of Minutes
• Chair's Update: Fire Safety and the Annual PILOT Payment
• Director's Updates: Capital Projects and Workforce
• Succession Planning Discussion
• Fiscal Year 2027 Meeting Calendar
• Customer Account Write-Offs
• Climate Action Committee Update
• S&P Credit Rating Review
• Coordination With the Town Audit Committee
• Executive Session
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,303 words

Source: the Municipal Light Board meeting of October 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.