HOUSTON — Houston City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a plan they believe will provide relief to thousands of residents hit with sky-high water bills.
That plan was originally seconds away from a vote on December 6 when Council Member Michael Kubosh tagged the agenda item, delaying the vote for a week.
Kubosh said then he didn’t have enough time to read over the mayor’s nine proposals because he received the information less than 24 hours beforehand.
On Tuesday, Kubosh told KHOU he had read over the plan and was ready to support it.
The nine proposals are all aimed at providing customers with more options for relief from unusually high bills. Many of the measures change how Houston Public Works can handle cases.
"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," 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 she believes the plan will address at least 90% of customer complaints. Customers can get up to 100% credit on their water bill if issues are reported within 30 days and a rate or meter problem is found.
Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin said a more permanent fix still needs to happen.
“I’d love to see public works come up with a master plan with cost initiatives as to how we fix the problem, because the problems will continue and we will still pay water bills and still go back and compensate the folks for that," Martin said.
KHOU has reported for months about problems with exorbitant bills, which occur in part because of aging infrastructure and failed meters.
That forces city workers to estimate water usage for about 40,000 customers each month.
On Tuesday during City Council’s public speakers session, even people who got their water problems fixed and bills corrected had something to say.
“My account has been credited,” said Simone Johnson-Brown. “I still feel that I need to bring to your attention the most horrific and horrendous, disrespectful way that customer service speaks to the public when we call, the way they are dismissive when we present facts.”
“Last year my bill was $7,000,” said Joseph Ballard, who told KHOU his monthly bill typically is under $100 but began jumping in 2022.
Ballard said he recently paid $756 to keep his water from being shut off.
“We’re gonna give you a credit,” Ballard recalled a customer service representative saying to him. “No. Don’t give me no credit. Give me my money back. Go back to 2021, and show me where you guestimated my water bill at.”
Ballard said he doesn’t believe the plan will change much unless the underlying issues are fixed.
The nine proposals take effect immediately.
Public Works has 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
Turner said city leaders have spent months working on a plan to address the issues. Here's what's changing:
- 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