DUNCAN – Unhappy with their utility bills, some residents aired their frustration with the city’s utility department recently.
Residents flocked to the Oct. 10 Duncan City Council meeting to talk about their bills and ask city officials for help.
One resident, Rachel Sherrill, said she had received a $1,200 water bill from the city over the summer.
“They said they were going to get a bill correction in August, and they still have not,” she said. “It just keeps getting higher.”
Another resident, Shanda Savage, said her water bill rose from $425 in August to $642 in September, even though she used less water during that time. She said she contacted the city about the problem, and the city said it would send someone out to read her meter – but the meter reader never came.
This month, Savage’s water bill jumped from $642 to $1,100.
“I’ve got a cut-off date,” she said. “I don’t have a way to pay.”
City Attorney David Hammond said anyone who wants to challenge part of their utility bill should call City Hall and schedule a review hearing date.
“Once that’s done, it will stop any turn-off or collection of your utilities,” he said. “We don’t charge a penalty, nor do we charge interest.”
The city is making the transition to a new water meter system, which involves installing new meters across town. Contractor Ferguson Waterworks and its subcontractor, Second Sight Systems, have completed a little more than 14% of the total project, which involves replacing more than 13,500 meters.
The project may be finished by the end of the first quarter of 2024, depending on weather and staffing, according to a news release from City Hall. Once the project is completed, a new customer portal will allow residents to sign up and access their account information so they can monitor their water usage and set alerts.
The transition to the new system caused about a week’s delay in the billing schedule for each area, identified by the first number in a customer’s account, officials said in the news release. To ensure that billing continued during the transition, the city estimated customers’ bills according to industry standards.
“Any account that received an estimated billing will see an adjustment of usage when a manual meter reading is taken,” officials said. “As a result of the delays in billing, payment due dates, drafts and grace period dates have been adjusted to match the usual time frames provided for payment. Extensions, payment plans and mediation are also available at customer request.”
Making the transition
City Manager Kimberly Meek said city officials understand residents’ frustration as the city continues making the transition to a new metering system.
“It has been challenging on numerous fronts and we ask for your continued patience with any billing concerns,” she said in the news release. “The benefits of the meter system upgrade, when completed, will provide residents with a customer portal to easily monitor water usage, a sign up for alerts as well as providing the ability to ensure early leak detection.”
Customers who have questions about their bill should call the utility billing customer service team during normal business hours, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Additional information about billing area maps is available on the city’s website, www.duncanok.gov, which includes updates about the meter installation schedule.