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Residents urge investigation into inconsistent water bills; council asks staff to track complaints
Summary
Multiple residents told the council of sharp, unexplained swings in water bills and urged oversight of the water provider; councilmembers asked staff to tally complaints, consider a citizens’ committee and pursue more data from the utility.
Several residents pressed the Georgetown City Council on Jan. 12 to investigate what they described as large, inconsistent water bills from the regional water provider and to create a formal process for tracking and resolving complaints.
At the public-comment portion of the meeting, Dana Barber said her water use and bills abruptly spiked to a reported 10,250 gallons and then returned to prior levels without an identifiable leak. "You must have a leak," she said she was repeatedly told by the water company; "How can everybody have a leak?" Barber told council members she and others cannot afford sudden bills and asked whether the city can oversee or audit the provider’s practices.
Dan Holman and other residents urged greater transparency from the Georgetown Municipal Water and Sewer Service (GMWSS), saying agendas and information have not always been posted promptly and noting a water-supply update will be presented at the GMWSS board meeting the following day.
Councilmembers responded by asking staff to track complaints and outcomes. One councilmember said they had a collection of similar examples and proposed keeping an anonymous tally of complaint types, resolutions and whether customers were on Georgetown distribution or another system. "We asked for that when we had the presentation," a councilmember said, noting the council had asked for a breakdown of calls and resolutions and had not yet received it.
City staff committed to working with council to develop a follow-up process so members can determine whether the pattern reflects isolated incidents or a systemic problem requiring further action. The council did not take formal action on this item during the meeting; staff indicated they will bring data and recommendations back to the council.
