Money continues to change hands in the sometimes confusing saga of Northern Chautauqua County water.

At least three of the North County Water District’s five municipalities have cut checks to Chadwick Bay Intermunicipal Water Works (CBI) as part of a repayment agreement, it was reported at the December board meeting. CBI is the water district’s billing arm.

Portland Town Supervisor Rich Lewis said the town has written its check to CBI, while County Legislature Chairman Pierre Chagnon said the towns of Pomfret and Sheridan will cut checks by year’s end.

Portland owes $308,939, Sheridan $107,469, and Pomfret $67,941.

However, the status of the two largest repayments – from the town of Dunkirk and the village of Brocton – was not made clear. The town of Dunkirk owes $587,571 and Brocton owes $478,196.

The repayment agreement comes in the wake of a state Comptroller’s Office audit that criticized the county and the NCWD on its finances.

It also happens in the midst of Brocton and Portland disassociating themselves from CBI. The municipalities will now do their own water billing and maintenance, but will continue to actually get the water from the NCWD.

Lewis said he is “glad to have that payment agreement behind us” and is looking forward to continued work with the water district. As for CBI, “I don’t know what’s going on with them.”

Chagnon stated that the repayment agreement is strictly between the municipalities and CBI. Chautauqua County’s role is to be responsive to the district’s overall plan to pay its debts, he said.

County Finance Director Kitty Crow said earlier in December that the county stood to make $483,000 in interest off a $5.2 million loan to the NCWD. That loan was among the things criticized in the Comptroller’s Office report.

The water district can’t afford to pay the loan back to Chautauqua County, so a Bond Anticipation Note is in the works. That came up briefly at the December water district meeting; the NCWD is said to be looking at a 4% interest rate on repaying the note.