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Norfolk officials outline causes of extended water bills, offer relief and launch AMI pilot
Summary
City officials told the council that contractor absenteeism, turnover and meter accessibility after storms drove recent extended billing cycles that left some customers facing bills roughly 50% higher than usual; staff described short-term remedies and a four-year plan to replace 70,000 meters with AMI technology, starting with a 700-meter pilot.
City of Norfolk officials told the council that recent extended water billing cycles were driven primarily by contractor absenteeism, contractor turnover and reduced meter accessibility after severe weather, and outlined short-term relief and a multi-year meter upgrade plan.
Doug Bieber, introduced on the agenda as deputy city manager for the utility update, said residents experienced longer billing cycles in the last two months and that "customers were seeing upwards of 50% increase in their normal bill," stressing that water charges are volume-based and the yearly total paid would not change. He told the council the city uses a contractor, identified in the presentation as Alexander Contract Services (ACS), to read roughly 70,000 meters and that recent staffing shortfalls left ACS with about 10…
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