HOUSTON — Houston Public Works officials said Wednesday that it's now easier for their employees to make accurate adjustments to high water bills.
The change came after City Council voted unanimously to get rid of an ordinance that Public Works officials called "outdated" and said "needs to be replaced."
There was previously a section of code that made it so city employees could be fired for lowering water bills.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire said changing the culture of customer service is part of a larger effort that's already underway to revamp the water billing system.
"Let’s talk, let’s resolve your billing. The lady from Kingwood had a couple thousand-dollar bill that was resolved before she left the building. It’s the user-friendly, let’s get to the bottom of it, let’s do a fair and accurate billing, and part of it is just my instruction to Public Works," Whitmire said.
Whitmire said the next step is to replace the faulty technology at the core of the problem.
They're also testing a computer program that would block incorrect bills from going out.
Whitmire said he's disappointed the launch hasn't happened yet, but they want to get it right before it does. He didn't have a firm rollout date.