As we enter a new year Houston water customers are hoping for change, after months of dealing with erratic, surging, and unexplained water bills.

John Whitmire is now Houston’s next Mayor. He is vowing to get to the bottom of the water billing crisis draining Houstonians.

Retired Kingwood homeowner Mary Gilmore is hoping he keeps that promise.

“I don’t use the dishwasher,” Gilmore told investigative reporter Amy Davis. “If I take a shower, it’s a quick in and out shower because I don’t want that bill to add up.”

Gilmore’s water bill for the home she’s lived in more than 10 years is now more than $3,600.

“I’ve never had these problems,” she told Davis. “I use to pay $35 to $40 a month; and now it’s $570 to $1000.”

Her bills started spiking last summer. They show she used up to 36,000 gallons in some months and just 1,000 or 2,000 gallons in other months. She checks her water meter frequently. We also checked. The red dial that would indicate water is running, was not spinning. Gilmore’s bills are complicated. In 2023, we noticed one reading was estimated; but the city didn’t read the meter or estimate the bill at all for several months.

Her water bills show the city read her meter in January of 2023 and again in June, but nothing in between. It’s these irregularities she hopes the new mayor will stop.

“Make sure that the equipment is working properly; and if it’s not, let’s swap it out,” Gilmore said.

Mayor Elect Whitmire promising change

“We are going to do a complete audit of every department,” Mayor Elect John Whitmire told KPRC 2 News the morning after he was elected.

“There is not going to be the conflicts of interests that we are witnessing.”

Whitmire has also said he will stop the corruption we uncovered at Houston Public Works. We showed you tens of millions of dollars awarded to fraudulent companies owned by family and friends of water department employees.

The Latest in our Drained Investigation

Many of you have asked up to stay on top of the investigation. We are.

• We asked the city how many of those employees and contractors are still on the city’s payroll. Public Works asked me to ask again in a formal public information request. I submitted the request on December 14th. On December 20th, city legal asked the Texas Attorney General if they had to release that information or the records for three other requests I filed.
• We are still waiting on all of the emails we requested on September 1st, 2022. By January 1st, the city leaders who wrote the emails we requested will be out of office.

Raises for Public Works employees

On the 11th hour of a new administration take-over, KPRC 2 Investigates has learned Houston Public Works approved performance pay and equity adjustment increases for 34 Public Works employees. We are still working to find out which employees got the increases and for how much.

Houston Public Works spokesperson Erin Jones sent us this statement by email:

“The Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigations are ongoing, and we will continue to take appropriate actions based on the findings, as swiftly as legally permissible by our policies and procedures. For the current employment status of a City employee, please submit a TPIA request.

Yvonne Forrest’s retirement date is effective January 2024. She remained onboard in an advisory capacity within Houston Public Works.

The performance pay increases and equity adjustment were for 34 employees, including frontline employees.

City Administrative Policy 3-13 Performance Pay Zone (PPZ) Program allows employees to be recognized for their efforts. The HPW budget included pay raises for up to 2% of HPW employees. Raises approved for the current fiscal year consist of less than 1% of all HPW employees.

HPW makes recommendations to HR for employees based on AP 3-13. HR compensation makes recommendations for salary increases for those employees under consideration for the PPZs. Human Resources and the Administration give the final approval. The HPW Director does not have the sole authority to approve salaries or raises.”

Houston water customers, even city council members, aren’t shy about how they think Houston Public Works is performing.

“The water department is a joke,” Houston District G City Council Member Mary Nan Huffman said at a meeting in October.

Whether it’s the water contracts, the billing issues or equipment failures, right now all of the burden is failing on water customers.

This is why we are committed to continuing our investigation and getting answers for you in the new year.