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Nevada resident disputes water billing and calls for city investigation; park water quality and parking accessibility raised at public forum
Summary
Resident Ken Hyde told the council his February and March water bills were far higher than normal and described tests that suggest a meter or metering process fault; council and staff said they will investigate. Other public forum speakers urged park water-quality testing and better handicap parking markings downtown.
At the public forum, Nevada resident Ken Hyde said his February bill was roughly twice his normal amount and his March bill was about four times normal, and he described on-site tests that led him to question whether the meter or metering process was recording usage correctly.
"I don't want to pay for water I don't use," Hyde told the council, describing a sequence in which staff turned valves, watched a meter, installed a replacement meter and observed that a previously spinning meter stopped registering when the new meter was installed. Hyde said pressure readings and a manual one-gallon test produced inconsistent results and he asked the council for help resolving the billing dispute.
City staff and council members responded in the public forum: staff said the old meter was tested and the new meter had been returned to the utility for bench testing; a council member noted the forum cannot produce immediate action but the city would follow up through staff and the appropriate departments. Utility staff (Sean) and Administrator Jordan were identified during the discussion; Andy Kelly and other council members said they would look into the technical and billing records as a next step.
Other speakers in the public forum raised separate community concerns. Ray Batty commended Main Street and sidewalk upgrades but urged the city to re-assess the placement and marking of handicap parking on Sixth Street, saying several marked spaces lack adequate passenger-side clearance for mobility devices. A resident identified as Jane asked whether Harrington Park’s pond would receive water-quality testing before spending for park improvements; she also asked about underground storage tanks at local convenience stores and whether Casey’s site work was proceeding. Staff said the tank-removal process is affected by a pending lawsuit and regulatory variance processes and that the city could arrange water testing for the park pond.
Council members acknowledged the items and said they would refer the utility billing dispute to staff for technical review, that staff would explore water-quality testing options for Harrington Park, and that the planning/engineering staff would follow up on questions about underground storage tanks and site plans.
