The City of Sequim reached an agreement in April for overdue sewer payments with Clallam County residents who unknowingly weren’t paying their bills.

Settlement agreements with homeowners on the 100 block of Fox Hollow Road and the 100 block of Sapphire Place state the City of Sequim will receive half, just over $5,000, of what is owed.

Homeowners were using the city’s sewer system along with Clallam PUD’s water services.

The Fox Hollow Road home was purchased in 2007 and connected to city services in 2009 but not billed, the settlement agreement states.

The homeowner and city agreed that for three of those years the home was unoccupied so the homeowner only pays a standby fee for sewer in those years.

Customarily, the city does not provide a sewer standby fee because it’s not in the Sequim Municipal Code, but the homeowner will end up paying about $3,507.

The Sapphire Place home was built in 2004 and connected to the city’s sewer but not billed.

Homeowners agreed to pay about $2,127 of about $4,254 owed.

Sequim’s City Attorney Craig Ritchie said the city only recently discovered the issues.

“We just screwed up,” Ritchie said. “We’re searching to see if there are others out there. We’re cross-merging records with the PUD.”

Since the first two contracts were approved, three more accounts were found not being billed, Ritchie said.

Sequim city councilors approved the first two settlements on April 11 and two settlements on April 25 for two homes at a 50-percent settlement at about $1,242 on Seventh Avenue and about $2,129 Coral Drive.

The third account was discovered and given for review to Ritchie on May 3, he said.

Despite the errors, the settlement states it is a violation of the state constitution for the city to waive any debt owed to the city.