* Warning: This is an unofficial, introductory copy of the bill.
The official copy considered by the City Council is the first reader copy.
Introductory*
City of Baltimore
Council Bill R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: President Young and Councilmember Stokes
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
title
Investigative Hearing - Water Billing
For the purpose of requesting that the Department of Public Works and the Department of Finance brief the City Council on water affordability for customers of Baltimore’s Bureau of Water and Wastewater, the new water billing system started in October 2016, and concerns raised by customers of the Bureau of Water and Wastewater regarding unusually high bills, missing bills, and the process to contest bills.
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Recitals
In October 2016, the Department of Public Works’ Bureau of Water and Wastewater implemented a monthly water billing system. As customers of the City’s Bureau of Water and Wastewater participate in this program, many concerns have been raised.
The system has worked well for many customers, but others have seen unusually high bills, bills coming at seemingly random intervals, or obviously mistaken bills. It is not clear how common these billing errors are, but some that have occurred have been widely publicized and discussed, leading to questions about the accuracy and reliability of the new system even among customers who would not otherwise have reason to doubt their bills. Coming so soon after the introduction of a new system advertised as the solution to Baltimore’s longstanding water billing problems, these issues need to be publically acknowledged and addressed to enable customers to trust that the system can be relied on to issue bills that are fair, accurate, and timely.
The changes to the process to contest water bills, implemented at the same time as the changes to the water billing system, have exacerbated concerns about the fairness of the new billing approach. DPW’s decision to create a more formal, and form driven, process for contesting bills included the elimination of any opportunity for customers and their advocates to have in-person discussions about billing issues. Advocates assert that this change has stripped City water customers of a fair process to contest their bills. A failure to adequately publicize this change has certainly added to confusion about the new bills and how to rectify problems that arise with them.
In order to reassure Baltimoreans that they have a fair and reliable water billing system, it is critical that DPW take a hard look at all of these changes and reassess the rational for them and the effects they have had as a package on City water customers. Where mistakes have been made, they need to be admitted and addressed; and where improvements can be made, they need to be attended to immediately. Only a thorough public discussion about what has gone right and wrong with the new system, and how DPW is working to ensure that problems with the new systems are cured, can hope to convince customers that their water bills can finally be trusted.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of Baltimore, That the Council requests that the Department of Public Works and the Department of Finance brief it on water affordability for customers of Baltimore’s Bureau of Water and Wastewater, the new water billing system started in October 2016, and concerns raised by customers of the Bureau of Water and Wastewater regarding unusually high bills, missing bills, and the process to contest bills.
And be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Director of Public Works, the Finance Director, and the Mayor’s Legislative Liaison to the City Council.