Council lowers customer’s water billing tier after resident cites hidden leak

The Harrisburg City Council voted to lower the water portion of a customer’s bill from the highest tier to tier 3 for April–May 2024 after the resident said an unseen valve leak caused the spike.

Resident Mike Langston told the council he received a bill that was “significantly higher” than normal and that, after turning off outside water and having a contractor inspect the property, the leak was traced to a leaky valve. Langston said the bill for the affected cycle was $1,724 and asked the council to “consider a compromise and reduction in the water bill” because he had no visible signs of overwatering during the billing period.

The city staff described the tiered system as a conservation tool tied to the city’s water allocation from Lewis Park water. A staff member explained the tiers are intended to discourage excess irrigation, and that the fourth tier raises the price per gallon substantially. Councilmembers clarified the request was not to forgive usage charges but to reassign the usage to a lower tier for billing purposes to reflect Langston’s typical seasonal usage.

Councilmember [unnamed mover] moved to approve the request to lower the water portion of Langston’s bill to tier 3. The motion passed on a roll call vote with votes recorded as Larson — aye; Maxwell — aye; Wazinski — aye; Kent — aye.

The council’s action reduced Langston’s immediate bill to a lower tier charge; Langston said some usage crossed into the next billing cycle and that the city had reworked the billing amounts for April and May while he worked with staff to reconcile the charges. The council did not adopt a broader policy change in this meeting; the vote applied to the resident’s specific billing adjustment.