Got a high water bill you don’t think you owe? A lot of you are asking Amy what you should do about it. Her answer has changed from what she told many of you last year. Amy Davis explains what you should do if the water department is not helping to resolve an unexplained bill you don’t think you owe.
In our ‘DRAINED’ series we’ve covered dozens of topics related to your water bills. We’ve explained the 5 things to do the minute you get a high water bill.
- Take your bill off auto pay
- Dispute the bill with the water department
- Look at your usage history
- Inspect your own meter and get the reading
- Check for leaks
These things are still all accurate. But if you do all that and determine that you did not use the water the city is charging you for but they refuse to adjust your bill, there is now a step 6.
“I would tell them to ignore the exorbitant bill. You’re not going to. Of course, you’re not going to owe that to the city of Houston. Call the water department. Call the mayor’s office. I just said that. Call the mayor’s office and we will have someone deal with that water bill. You won’t have to pay an exorbitant water bill,” said Mayor John Whitmire.
You heard him right. During Amy’s exclusive interview with Mayor John Whitmire he said to call the mayor’s office.
How many people are dealing with water bill issues
Now something else has also changed. Last December at city council when Public Works Director Carol Haddock was asked how many water customers were waiting to have their water billing issue resolved, she spouted off a shockingly low number.
Here’s that exchange from the December 6, 2023 meeting
Dave Martin: How many people are in the queue today that we’re working on cases?
Carol Haddock: So the number of people.. sorry- go ahead Lisa.
Lisa Garrison (Deputy Director, Customer Accounts Services): That are in administrative review?
Haddock: That are in an estimated that have gone to the customer liaison and are somewhere beyond the initial phone call.
Garrison: I believe we have about 90.
Martin: 9-0?
Garrison: 9-0.
Haddock: That sounds like a very low number, doesn’t it?
Less than 100 customers waiting for help with the water department does sound like a very low number. But just a couple of weeks ago a Public Works spokesperson told Amy Davis by email:
“Our team has provided adjustments to more than 5,000 customer accounts amounting to $6.3 million in high bill assistance since the nine ordinance changes went into effect in December 2023.”
That is more than $6 million credited or removed from water bills in about three months.
So, the 6th step if you are still having problems is to call or email the mayor’s office about your problem.
The Mayor is set to officially release the full details of the new plan to bring water bill relief for customers. We will continue to bring you the latest details on the plan and will work to get answers for you.