Committee forwards 30‑day probe and temporary late‑fee waiver on water bills to full commission

The Benton Harbor Public Safety and Public Works Committee on June 10 directed staff to produce a public investigation within 30 days into widespread water‑billing errors and forwarded a resolution to the full commission recommending a temporary waiver of late fees while the review is completed.

Commissioner Juanita Henry opened the discussion after multiple residents reported they had not received bills for months, then received unexpectedly high charges and late notices. A committee member said they were urging a 30‑day investigation and a temporary suspension of late fees “given the volume of complaints received regarding billing accuracy, acquisition, delivery delays, and resident confusion.”

City staff (Mister Little) told the committee the problem appears to have started after the city’s longstanding third‑party biller was bought out by another company and described efforts to bring billing operations back in‑house. He said staff would finalize outstanding information and produce a written, publicly available report on causes and corrective steps within roughly 30 days.

Residents and commissioners pushed for both a public report and immediate relief. One resident said staff had told them the post office was at fault; another commissioner disputed that, saying the third‑party biller—not the postal service—was responsible in her experience. The exchange prompted several members to press staff for the vendor contract and for an explanation of where mail delivery or vendor processing failed.

Committee members asked staff to include in the report: detailed causes of billing fluctuations, whether estimated versus actual meter readings were used, a timeline for bringing billing in‑house, and an estimate of the financial impact of waiving late fees. Staff said many customers now have new meters and that some accounts still receive estimated bills while access or meter replacements are completed.

The committee voted by consensus to forward the proposed temporary waiver and the request for a comprehensive investigation and documentation — including the billing contract — to the full commission for final action. The chair asked that staff provide the requested contract and the written report at the next committee meeting; staff said they would redact personal account details but make findings public.