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Residents complain about water and sewer billing proration; city to investigate
Summary
Multiple speakers raised concerns that the city's recent rate change was not prorated for the December/January billing period, particularly for sewer charges and renters. City staff said it will investigate and publish findings.
At the Feb. 24 Westminster City Council meeting several residents raised concerns about how recent water and sewer rate changes were applied to bills covering December and January.
Craig Russell, a public commenter, said he believed sewer charges and some water charges were not prorated after a rate change. “They didn't do it with the sewer. So everybody in the city of Westminster paid the full rate for sewer for the year 2025 even the for the amount they paid for the use in 2024,” Russell said. He also said renters had been charged the full amount.
City staff responded that they would investigate the billing cycle and prepare “a publicly available, missive to city council, reporting out on that” and, if corrective actions were needed, take them. Councilors asked staff to follow up for the resident and produce a report.
Clarifying detail cited in public comment: Russell said the unpaid/proration difference was about $16.18 for an individual account; he framed the issue as principle rather than size of the amount.
Why it matters: Residents asked the council to verify that rate changes were applied correctly and fairly, including for renters. The council asked staff for a transparent follow-up.
Quotes "They didn't do it with the sewer. So everybody in the city of Westminster paid the full rate for sewer for the year 2025 even the for the amount they paid for the use in 2024," Craig Russell said. "We'll have that looked into. What happened on this billing cycle, we'll prepare a publicly available, missive to city council, reporting out on that," City Manager Andrew Andrews said.
Ending City staff said they will audit the billing cycle, report findings to council, and make corrective adjustments if needed.
