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Dundee council hears residents and businesses struggle with higher water bills, discusses leak-credit and repayment terms
Summary
Residents and business representatives told the council that recent water-rate increases produced painful bills for households on fixed incomes and for local businesses; councilors discussed the existing six-month repayment ordinance, a leak-credit policy (currently 50% credit for water overage in some cases), and asked staff to consider longer repayment terms and relief tied to documented repairs.
Dundee — Residents and business owners told the Dundee City Council that doubling of water rates and resulting overage charges are causing financial stress for fixed‑income households and small businesses.
A public commenter reported two cases with water overage bills of about $1,800 and $2,100 even after an adjustment credit. Council members noted the existing ordinance allows spreading overage repayments over six months and discussed requests from staff to grant longer repayment schedules — one speaker said she would consider extending repayment plans to 18 months for households in hardship.
Council and staff reviewed the city’s leak-credit policy. Current practice gives up to a 50% credit on a water overage if a homeowner takes prompt corrective action and the leak was not due to owner negligence; speakers noted sewer credits are sometimes treated differently and proposed the council consider aligning relief so that customers who repair catastrophic leaks are not charged beyond the city’s delivery cost.
Business representatives at the open house also said the increases were “painful” and urged the council to balance base‑rate versus usage‑rate adjustments so that both fixed costs and equity for low users are addressed. Councilors asked staff to produce a brief report comparing summer usage between 2024 and 2025 to measure any behavior change from rate adjustments.
Council directed staff to: review the leak-credit policy and the six-month repayment ordinance, draft options to extend repayment periods for qualifying hardship cases, and investigate communication strategies (opt‑in email/text, newsletter and more frequent open houses) to ensure customers are aware of rate changes and assistance options.
What’s next: staff will return with recommended policy language for leak relief and repayment extensions, and with a usage analysis comparing 2024 and 2025 summer months.
