Bolivar residents press Liberty Utilities over billing errors as state review and rate case loom

Residents in Bolivar, Missouri, confronted Liberty Utilities at a crowded town hall about widespread billing mistakes they say have left households facing unpredictable, often skyrocketing electric and water bills.

Acting interim Mayor Justin Ballard opened the meeting and introduced Liberty and state officials, giving residents three-minute public-comment slots for detailed complaints. Mike Beatty, president of gas operations for Liberty's Central Region, told the room the company was ‘‘not for sale’’ and apologized for the recent billing disruptions after a new billing system was installed. ‘‘Approximately 10% of our customers in Missouri experienced some billing issues following that implementation. We apologize for the inconveniences,’’ Beatty said, and he named several Liberty staff on hand to help customers pull up accounts and resolve specific errors.

Why it matters: Liberty has filed a multi-part rate case that would let it seek recovery for investments — including the recent billing-software conversion — and the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) has opened an inquiry after citizen complaints. The Office of Public Counsel, which represents consumers in PSC proceedings, urged residents to document problems and testify at public hearings this summer so regulators can weigh whether Liberty's costs and customer-service performance warrant recovery.

At the meeting, many residents recounted similar experiences: long gaps with no bills followed by multiple notices, negative (credit) bills then sudden large charges, automatic-bank draws that didn't match statements, and months-long waits for meter inspections or solar-interconnection checks. ‘‘This isn't a glitch. This is a collapse,’’ resident Trisha Price said, calling Liberty ‘‘chronically unfit’’ for the town and urging, ‘‘Freeze rates now. No hikes until their billing is verified and their meters are checked by independent experts.’’ Another resident described a $1,691 bill that exceeded a family’s rent and said shutoff notices arrived despite payments.

Liberty's explanation and fixes: Company representatives said the trouble stems mainly from a conversion to a new SAP-based billing system that went live on April 8, 2024. Liberty said conservative ‘‘exception’’ thresholds in the new system flagged many accounts for manual review, producing rebills and mailed notices that confused customers. The company said it identified the main exception settings by October, pushed corrective changes into production at the end of December 2024, and has continued to find and fix remaining issues. Liberty also said it temporarily increased customer-service staffing, held local open houses, and is offering extended payment timeframes for customers who received delayed bills.

Regulatory oversight and next steps: Jeff Mark, chief economist with Missouri's Office of Public Counsel, told attendees OPC and PSC staff are gathering evidence as part of the rate-case and investigatory work. ‘‘Utilities come in and ask for a fairly sizable rate increase. We open up all of their books. We look at all of the salaries. We look at everything that’s involved,’’ Mark said, urging residents to file formal complaints with PSC staff or OPC if they lack time to speak at the hearing. OPC officials said formal discovery in the rate case will test whether the software investment was prudent and whether customers should bear those costs.

Other recurring themes at the town hall included delays in solar-system approvals, confusion over account and deposit number changes after the system conversion, complaints about estimated reads when meters should be read, and frustration with customer-service follow-up. Several speakers pressed the city and regulators about the possibility of switching providers or creating municipal utility options; officials said those are complex, costly options and explained legal and franchise constraints that limit short-term alternatives.

What happens next: Missouri PSC staff and the Office of Public Counsel indicated public hearings will be scheduled this summer (the consumer advocate suggested August). Liberty said it anticipated resolving most remaining billing exceptions and asked customers still seeing errors to bring account details to the local service desk or the company's open-house sessions. The PSC docket and OPC filings will record investigative findings and any recommendations about refunds, penalties or limits on rate recovery.

The town hall closed with no immediate policy change; residents were told regulators will continue discovery and that the rate-case process, where the company must substantiate costs and the consumer advocate can object, will be the principal venue to address whether customers should pay to recover Liberty's investment and what consumer protections should apply.