SWAMPSCOTT – Red Rock Bistro has until Dec. 21 to pay approximately $15,700 in overdue town water bills or its liquor license will not be renewed on Jan 1.”I am concerned with a chronic problem,” Selectman David Van Dam told selectmen during the license renewal hearing at the board’s Wednesday meeting. He said that Red Rock Bistro on Humphrey Street owed money at the time of the license renewal hearing last year too. “Are we giving the ability for one business (to have) a special kind of deal?”Red Rock Bistro was the only one of the 17 businesses applying for a liquor license renewal that owed money to the town this year, town officials said Wednesday night.But Red Rock Bistro owner Paul Petersiel said outside the meeting that he would pay the money as he has in the past.”Our winters are tough and we pay a little late,” Petersiel said.But he objected to the selectmen “changing in mid-stream” what has traditionally been a Dec. 31 deadline to pay any outstanding bills.Town Treasurer/Tax Collector Denise M. Dembkoski said the restaurant owes $15,669.26 as of Thursday, Dec. 8 for three past-due water bills due March 15, June 15 and Sept. 15.This includes 14 percent annual interest – but applied daily – on water bills in arrears, Dembkoski said.Selectmen annually hold a public hearing and then vote to approve renewed licenses for businesses to serve food and liquor and provide entertainment. The licenses are approved “subject to all balances owed to the town being paid,” according to town records.Officials acknowledged that any outstanding monies owed the town at the time of the hearing had been due by Dec. 31 in the past. However, this year, the board started the license application renewal process earlier to give applicants and town staff more time to complete the process and avoid an end-of-the-year crunch.Accordingly, selectmen voted 4-1 to approve 17 license renewals – including the renewal of the Red Rock Bistro’s license – contingent on a 4:30 p.m., Dec. 21 deadline for paying any outstanding monies.But Van Dam voted against the licenses.He said that – as at last year’s hearing – he was uncomfortable signing a liquor license for businesses or organizations that owed the town money.”The message here is that we just want people to be in compliance,” Van Dam said Thursday. “How is it fair for the other 16 businesses who pay on time? how do we expect other people to comply if we bend the rules?”But, at the meeting Wednesday, Selectman Jill Sullivan disputed that the selectmen were making any “exception” for Red Rock Bistro.She said the town charged interest on overdue bills. Secondly, they were advancing this year’s due date for unpaid monies. Selectmen also decided that beginning next year, all outstanding taxes or fees must be paid by the license renewal public hearing annually held at the first selectmen’s meeting in December.Cyrus Moulton can be reached at [email protected].