HOUSTON — Houston's new mayor says he has a plan to tackle the high water bills that have drained a lot of people's bank accounts the last several months.
On Monday, Mayor John Whitmire's spokesperson told us he would announce the "comprehensive plan" at Wednesday's city council meeting. Now, she said it's being postponed. No reason was given and no details about the plan have been released.
KHOU 11 News has reported for months about problems with problems with sky-high bills blamed partly on aging infrastructure and failed meters. The issues forced city workers to estimate water usage for about 40,000 customers each month.
We heard from panicked public works customers whose bills soared, including some that were tens of thousands of dollars. Ninety-year-old Naomi Brazle contacted KHOU 11 News last May after she got a bill for $58,000.
We helped her and several other homeowners get their bills lowered and our reports caught the city's attention.
Water bill relief plan approved in December
In December, the Houston City Council unanimously approved a plan designed to address the problem.
The nine proposals are all aimed at providing customers with more options for relief from unusually high bills, including changing how Houston Public Works responds to complaints.
"Today's action removes the structural hurdles that prevented Houston Public Works from adjusting unusually high water bills. Because we have improved the ordinances, the department can be more responsive in the future," then-Mayor Sylvester Turner said. "By making the changes, we also are improving the appeal process for customers and giving employees more flexibility."
HPW Director Carol Haddock told council members that she believes the plan will address at least 90% of customer complaints.
Customers can now get up to 100% credit on their water bill if issues are reported within 30 days and a rate or meter problem is found.
Last month, Public Works said it had replaced 71,000 of the aging remote meter readers since 2019 and plans to replace 430,000 more through 2030.
Nine proposals to address unusually high water bills
- Customer services will be equipped with the tools and resources necessary to resolve the majority of disputes on the first call.
- Remove limit to the number of times customers can get adjustments for water leaks each year.
- Add incentives for customers who repair their water leak within 30 days of receiving their water bill. Those bills will be adjusted to their average usage. If the repair is completed 31-60 days after receiving the bill, they will get a 75% adjustment. Repairs completed more than 60 days after the bill is received will result in a 50% adjustment.
- A customer can qualify for a full credit if the leak costs more than $1,000 or $100 for low-income residents. Under the current ordinance, those amounts were $2,000 and $250.
- The maximum relief offered will be lowered from 150% to 125% of the customer’s average bill.
- In cases where the cause of the increase is unknown, the adjustment threshold to qualify for adjustments will be lowered from five times the average bill to twice the average bill. The adjustment limit will be raised from $4,000 to $10,000.
- Customers no longer using water at properties they own are no longer required to pay a private contractor to remove the meter at a cost of as much as $1,500. Instead, the City will lock the meter for a one-time fee of $150. There would be no fee to reactivate the meter.
- Customers who sign up for online-only bills will get a 50-cent credit each month.
- Officially do away with back billing over three months