Mills council agrees to adjust $988 water bill for tenant property pending inspection

Lucia Hale, speaking for a property owner identified as Jeff, asked the Mills City Council on an open-comments agenda item to adjust an unusually high water bill after a hidden leak at a rental unit in Mills on Chalmers.

Hale said the account reached $988.11 after the utility company first told the customer there was no continuous leak and later called to demand immediate shutoff. "The bill, which I have right here, is up to $988.11," Hale said. She said her renter paid a plumber to repair a separated kitchen supply pipe within 24 hours and provided a receipt.

Council members and staff discussed two separate issues: whether to reduce the billed amount and whether the contractor who performed the repair was properly licensed to work inside the city and therefore subject to inspection and permit requirements. City staff said the municipality can honor a contractor's license from another county or municipality if the worker is licensed elsewhere, but repairs done without a city permit limit the town’s ability to inspect the work.

Council and staff reviewed meter readings submitted in the documentation: the account showed a single billing month with about 175,000 gallons, compared with prior months of roughly 11,000–26,000 gallons. The bill included $921.00 for water, $27.75 for sewer, $35.00 for garbage and a $4.04 administrative fee. Council members noted the administrative, sewer and trash charges would remain even if an adjustment were approved.

Council indicated support for an adjustment that would substantially reduce the bill, conditioned on a building-inspection approval of the repair. The council’s recommendation was to adjust the water portion of the account so the account balance would be reduced to $1.76 (final figure to be confirmed by billing staff), contingent on an inspection verifying the repair meets the city’s standards. Staff said the inspection should occur promptly; a council member suggested inspection within 15 days to allow the billing office to process any abatement.

Staff also agreed to remove the account from the disconnect list while the inspection and follow-up occur and to attempt individualized invoicing to give the account holder time to pay outstanding balances. Council members emphasized the property owner’s obligation to hire licensed contractors, and staff noted the city cannot retroactively inspect repairs done without permits until the work is documented and approved.

The council asked staff to follow up: city staff will contact the property owner for inspection scheduling, verify contractor licensure (or acceptable out-of-jurisdiction license), and return any final billing adjustments to the utility billing system once the inspection passes.

The public comment and follow-up discussion lasted through the open-comments portion of the meeting; no formal roll-call motion to reduce the bill was recorded in the minutes, but council members agreed on the contingency described above.