Lincoln Park announces water meter project; resident raises alarm over high estimated bills

The Lincoln Park City Council heard an update on the city’s water meter project and a public complaint about unusually high water bills at its Nov. 24 meeting.

The city manager told the council the water meter project, previously approved by the council, is entering its public-notice phase. "We are preparing letters to go out to the residents just to get them familiar that this project will be starting," the city manager said, and added the project has a "tentative start date to start installing meters around the February." The manager said the vendor front-loaded approximately 200 meters and that the city had already installed two meters ahead of the formal kickoff.

During Citizens Communications, resident Nicole Meredith said she is a Lincoln Park resident of 23 years and described a recent water bill for her three-person household. "My recent bill was for a 3 person home, $476.95, and it came in as an estimate," Meredith said. She told the council she had reached out via social media and heard from other residents reporting extreme charges; "some of these people's bills are up $7,800," she said.

Meredith asked how meters are read and how residents can be sure readings are accurate. City staff offered to review individual accounts: the city manager invited her to call the office or make an appointment to examine her account details and provided office extensions for follow-up. The manager also said there are many factors that go into water rates and that it is not unusual for usage to repeat across consecutive billing cycles.

What's next: The city said it will send letters and post information online about the meter-installation project before widespread installation begins. Residents with billing questions were encouraged to contact the municipal billing office for an account review.

Quotes from the meeting are verbatim from the transcript.