Resident urges council to link water‑rate increases to customer app; solicitor says service components must be defined
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Summary
A public commenter urged Bethlehem to require a customer usage app (AquaHawk/Ion Water) before approving any water‑rate increase; the city solicitor said a rate must be tied to cost of service and that incorporating app services would require a clearly defined, potentially creative ordinance.
During public comment, Mark Wilweber asked council not to approve a water‑rate increase unless the utility provides consumer protections in the form of a downloadable usage app such as AquaHawk or Ion Water. Wilweber said such tools would let consumers detect leaks and avoid unexpectedly large bills.
Councilmembers asked the solicitor whether a rate increase could be made contingent on implementing an app. The solicitor (speaker 16) responded that rates should be based on the cost of service and that if the municipality wants the service to include an app, that feature should be defined and costed into the rate. "If it includes AquaHawk, that should be factored in," the solicitor said, adding that a creatively drafted ordinance might achieve the council's policy objective but would require careful legal and operational work.
Council did not take a vote on water rates at the Nov. 20 meeting. Members asked staff and the solicitor to explore how an ordinance could be framed and what operational changes or costs would be necessary to provide an app to customers before any future rate action.