Man given $8K back bill due to addition he put on his home

By Meghan Schiller

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    NORTH HUNTINGDON TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A Westmoreland County man says he feels bamboozled after a nearly $8,000 bill arrived in the mail.

“It’s stressful. It causes stress because this is something that is just looming over us,” homeowner Robert O’Neal said.

O’Neal thought he did everything right.

“I’ve always done everything I had to do to make things right, and I’ve been good on my bills.”

The nearly $8,000 bill from the North Huntingdon Township Municipal Authority still sits on his kitchen island unpaid.

The bill reads: “A recent inspection of the above-referenced property confirmed there are two dwellings on this parcel.”

The letter continues to say that the NHTMA determined O’Neal’s 2011 addition of an in-law suite turned his single-family home into a duplex. Since the authority charges a flat fee per unit, it wants to double its money retroactively.

“This just came out of the blue being one property and we’re taking care of my father-in-law now,” said O’Neal. “And now, all of a sudden, you’re going to be penalized for taking care of your elderly parent, which I think is just a crime.”

KDKA Investigates first approached leaders at North Huntingdon Township and asked how they define a single-family home or duplex. They said for it to be a duplex, you would need to walk outside to get to the other part.

O’Neal’s home is all contained and connected.

“We checked into having a second residence, and in North Huntingdon, you’re not allowed to have a separate residence,” said O’Neal. “Everything is totally connected, and it’s with a breezeway, so it’s basically an addition.”

However, O’Neal quickly realized that North Huntingdon Township and the municipal authority are not connected, and have different opinions.

Meeting minutes show the authority started a project in March analyzing “all tax map numbers to see if any properties need billed.”

Michael Branthoover, the head of the North Huntingdon Township Municipal Authority, told KDKA-TV that five property owners, including O’Neal, got back-billed thousands of dollars each.

He said it’s “on the homeowners” to alert the authority about any new “in-law suites” since the authority considers them a second unit because of the stand-alone kitchen, living space, and bathroom.

“How many people just have $7,000 to $8,000 sitting there like, ‘Okay, I’ll just write you a check,’ and besides, it’s still one property, and this means they’re going to consider my house a duplex even if Bill passes away? I don’t even understand what their reasoning is,” said O’Neal.

The NHTMA is building a $43 million treatment facility, but Branthoover told KDKA-TV that this is not a money grab to fund it, and rates won’t increase a dime.

Water and electric companies bill by consumption, but the authority bills a flat fee.

Still, O’Neal argues he’s not renting out a duplex. He’s making his loved one comfortable.

“You can’t just have somebody go and move in. It’s one residence,” said O’Neal.

Branthoover told KDKA Investigates that he doesn’t care if O’Neal takes 10 years to pay the bill, but he wants him to acknowledge that the billing will change.

Branthoover emphasized that it is the homeowner’s responsibility to consult the rules and regulations, but agreed that there is no mention of in-law suites, duplexes, or alerting the authority upon starting construction in those same rules.

In the meantime, the NHTMA placed a lien on O’Neal’s home, warning all homeowners to alert all of their utilities before any construction or additions.

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