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Mount Vernon council approves $104,475 credit after Colonial Estates metering error
Summary
Council approved a $104,475.33 credit to Colonial Estates after staff discovered a master meter multiplier error that caused prolonged overbilling. The council voted unanimously to apply the corrected credit to the property account.
City staff told the Mount Vernon City Council on Oct. 20 that Colonial Estates, which is served by a single master water meter, had been overbilled because the meter multiplier in the billing system had been set to 100 when the meter was actually rated at 500. Staff estimated total overbilling at $116,370.68.
Because of a water leak, the property previously received a credit of $14,734.60 calculated using the incorrect multiplier. Staff recalculated bills using the correct multiplier and concluded the correct credit should have been $2,839.25; the net credit to the account is $104,475.33. The owner had disputed charges and no payment had been made on the overbilled amount.
Councilmember Rose moved to approve applying a credit of $104,475.33 to the Colonial Estates account; Councilmember West seconded the motion, which carried.
Why this matters: A five-figure municipal billing error affects both the property owner and the city's utility revenue accounting. The council's action restores the corrected balance to Colonial Estates' account and prevents the city from pursuing collection on the overbilled amount.
Next steps: Staff will apply the credit to the account as approved by council and reconcile billing records to prevent repeat errors.
