A big update on KPRC 2′s ‘DRAINED’ Investigation into Houston water bills.
Mayor John Whitmire wants to bring some much-needed relief and prevent these types of bills. We were expecting to learn all of the details at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, but the announcement has been delayed.
Investigator Amy Davis was the first to tell you about the outrageous water bills from the city of Houston and she’s been helping customers get thousands of dollars in refunds.
New information: What is next for so many people who need water bill relief
We got your emails and messages to not let up on the persistent problems at the Houston water department. Trust us, we aren’t.
Last week, Amy reached out to the mayor directly. His response came by text and reads in part, “We are putting finishing touches on a plan that should give real relief to customers.”
This relief would mean customers are not stuck with bills for hundreds or thousands of dollars that no one can explain. The mayor was very vocal about fixing these problems during his campaign.
“We need to stop the raising of the water bills until we get control of one, what is the real problem? The city Public Works will say it’s our bad computer or it’s the bad broken water mains. What we have to do is have a Public Works director that’s in tune with Houstonians. The sad thing is what do you do when you have a $1,100 or $2,000 water bill and no one will listen to you. So we need an and no one will listen to you, so we need an ombudsman at city hall. That can represent Houstonians,” said Mayor Whitmire in December 2023.
What does the new Houston water bill relief plan involve?
We know the new water bill relief plan involves making it much easier and faster for customers to clear high bills that are out of the norm and above their average usage.
The plan also helps people figure out what is causing those high meter reads in the first place.
That process will take a little more time but the relief for customers will mean people are not stuck with these exorbitant bills while the city figures out the bigger issues.
You may remember in December then Mayor Sylvester Turner released changes to several ordinances related to water bills. Some of those changes include allowing customers to apply for a maximum of two leak adjustments per year. Customers get 50% credit on excess water usage on both water and wastewater charges. You can read the full details of the previous ordinance changes here.
Houston Public Works says because of those ordinance changes, the water department has applied nearly $2 million in credits to water bills in dispute. HPW public information officer Erin Jones emailed the following statement to KPRC 2 News reporter Amy Davis:
“As of January 10, 2024, Customer Account Services (CAS) processed adjustments for 1,621 accounts for high bill relief, which amounts to $1.87 million in credits on accounts that applied for high water bill relief before Dec. 13, 2023, As a point of clarification, these adjustments are not corrections but the direct result of these much-needed ordinance changes. CAS has received 2,300 new requests for high water bill relief since the ordinance changes were approved.”
We will not stop the ‘DRAINED’ Investigation
Amy Davis and the team will keep bringing you any new developments on Houston water bills including the new plan Mayor Whitmire is expected to release next week.
RELATED: What you can do right now to fight a water bill you don’t think you owe
If you have a water bill issue, there’s a good chance we’ve covered that topic. Check out all of our ‘DRAINED’ Investigation to find the help you need.
Email Amy Davis or Producer Andrea Slaydon if you can’t find the help you need.