Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Several Germantown residents tell board fourth-quarter water bills are wrong; call for quick corrective action
Summary
Multiple residents told the Village Board that fourth‑quarter water bills generated by the village's Tyler Munis system were incorrect, underbilled some customers and risk creating confusion, potential liens, and loss of trust; speakers asked the board to call a special meeting and direct staff to correct statements and communications.
Several residents raised repeated complaints at the Jan. 6 Germantown Village Board meeting about what they said were incorrect fourth‑quarter water bills generated by the village’s billing system.
Lynn Shower of Pawnee Court told the board she compared Germantown’s tax and billing practices to neighboring communities and said Germantown “is going to be led to a tax poverty” because of rising spending; she singled out the village's purchase of the Grosnick property and questioned other recent expenditures. Shower said, “When my taxes go up $550 a year and my water bill goes up, this is ridiculous.”
Steve (last name not provided), a member of the Utility Advisory Committee, described his own bill as “underestimated by $234” and said staff at the counter told him the utility had applied a summer credit to the fourth quarter for all customers after switching to the Tyler Munis billing system. He told the board he found the billing header reading “metered single and multifamily / summer average” on all bills and said numerous customers’ statements appear to be incorrect. He asked the board to call a special meeting to direct staff to fix statements and notify customers.
Pam Zach of Old Farm asked whether residents who paid the amounts shown on the statements would be considered delinquent if the amounts were later corrected upward, noting the possible consequences of liens and mortgage escrow adjustments. She urged the board to produce corrected statements and to clarify the village’s position on delinquencies while corrections are under way.
Other speakers, including Sarah Larson and multiple Utility Advisory Committee members, echoed concerns about leadership, communication and whether legal counsel and staff handled past land purchases or other matters properly; several urged the board to act to preserve trust.
Why it matters: Residents said incorrect billing could cause financial harm, escrow or lien actions, and a loss of trust; members of the Utility Advisory Committee said similar billing problems have occurred in past years and that the village needs a timely, transparent response.
Board response and process limitations: Board members and staff repeatedly noted the item was not on the published agenda and therefore could not be fully discussed or acted on during the meeting. Several residents urged a special meeting; staff and the board did not announce at the meeting a firm timeline for correcting bills but said they would take the concerns to the appropriate committees and departments for follow-up. Trustee and staff comments in public indicated plans to research the complaint, review the billing runs, and consider issuing corrected statements and customer notifications where appropriate.
Next steps requested by residents: (1) immediate internal review of the Tyler Munis billing run for fourth quarter charges, (2) issuance of corrected statements if errors are confirmed, (3) a public statement clarifying that customers who paid the amounts shown would not be negatively treated while corrections are addressed, and (4) consideration of a special board meeting to provide public updates.
