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Condo residents press Watuppa Water Board over unexpectedly high unit water bills
Summary
A Pointe Gloria tenant association representative told the Watuppa Water Board that unit-level bills were unusually high when the city switched from a master meter split to individual condo billing; the board said a decimal miscalculation likely caused earlier spikes and asked residents to submit disputed accounts for review by the billing division.
A representative of the Pointe Gloria Condominium association told the Watuppa Water Board on Jan. 27 that many unit-level water bills sent after the city began issuing individual charges were unexpectedly large and have left residents worried about billing accuracy.
"The water bill was so high," Paul Avila said, describing the building’s initial reaction when the first round of unit bills went out. Avila said some bills were later adjusted — one example cited was a reduction from $142 to $99 — and that the adjustments heightened suspicion among residents that bills were being read or calculated incorrectly.
Board President Jim Terrio said the condominium bills are apportioned from the master meter according to each unit’s percentage under the master deed. Terrio told the meeting staff had been informed that an early spike was caused by "a miscalculation of a decimal point," and he described the calculation method the department uses to allocate usage from a single master meter to individual units.
Terrio said metering each unit would be preferable but is not feasible in this location, and he asked Avila to submit the unit numbers for any residents disputing bills so the billing division led by Director of Administrative Services Mr. Tai can reexamine those accounts. "We would be more than happy to reexamine them," the chair said.
The board did not make any billing adjustments during the meeting. Instead, staff and the administrator, Mister Furlan, said they would review the specific accounts forwarded by residents and report back to the board at a future meeting. The chair emphasized the board’s goal is accurate billing and invited the tenant association to provide documentation directly to the billing office.
What happens next: Residents who dispute their charges were instructed to provide unit numbers and account details to the billing division so staff can audit and, where appropriate, correct bills retroactively. The board did not set a timeline for that review at the meeting.
