HOUSTON – The Houston mayor said his administration has a plan to address high water bill issues in our city. He made the announcement late Tuesday, the same day multiple Houston City Council members submitted a notice to place water bill relief on the city council agenda. This is all a result of KPRC 2′s DRAINED investigations.
According to a news release from Council Member Mary Nan Huffman (District G), she and Carolyn Evans-Shabazz (District D) joined Council Member Amy Peck (District A) to submit the ordinance Tuesday. This is the first time council members have submitted an item to the agenda after the historic city charter change by voters in the last election. The item is now in the process of being reviewed by the legal department.
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Council members Peck, Evans-Shabazz, and Huffman prioritized water bill relief as the first item to be placed on the agenda after hearing from Houstonians who are “rightfully frustrated.”
“Houston Public Works often estimates water usage and back-bills customers after the meter is read,” the release said.
The proposed ordinance change would reportedly prohibit the department from correcting bills where the error occurred over three months prior unless the correction is in the customer’s favor.
“The current practice of being able to look back up to two years often resulted in customers being charged thousands of dollars,” the release stated. “Although the Department recently started adopting this new policy, the ordinance would codify this change and ensure that the policy is being applied on every bill. There has not been consistency in this practice.”
“Now that council members can place items on the agenda, I intend to offer items like this that make a real difference to people,” Council Member Peck said. “People came to us with a problem, and now we have the ability to fix it. This is how government should work.”
Council Member Evans-Shabazz said, “I am deeply gratified that the first application of our new charter amendment will directly address the concerns of our residents struggling with exceptionally high water bills. This action not only aligns with the core intent of the amendment but also embodies its spirit, offering hope and relief to our community members.”
Council Member Huffman added, “This measure codifies existing policy and will provide residents with meaningful consistency as we prepare to transition to a new administration. Residents of Houston should not be penalized for the city’s error. The amendment we proposed today will cap billing overages resulting from malfunctioning city equipment and will also incentivize Houston Public Works to make sure that their meters are functioning properly.”
KPRC 2′s ‘DRAINED’ series
Since KPRC 2 Investigates first started looking into complaints about unexplained and outrageous water bills across the Houston area, we’ve recovered more than $80,000 for customers who were charged money they didn’t owe.
KPRC 2 has been following up with city leaders on how they plan to change the current water billing system. Hear what Mayor Sylvester Turner had to say in response to Amy Davis’ questions on Nov. 15, 2023.
Turner issued the following statement Tuesday:
“Over the last few months, Houston Public Works and the City of Houston Legal Department have worked on comprehensive changes to our Municipal Code of Ordinances to address the issue of high water bills. This extensive array of regulatory and process improvements is designed to bring customer relief. My administration will present the proposed changes to City Council in the coming weeks with a target date of December 6, 2023.”
Take a look back via our timeline of the comprehensive KPRC 2 Investigates yearslong Houston probe into high bills, meter issues, dirty water and lack of city response.
KPRC 2 Investigates did reach out to Houston mayoral candidates Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and State Senator John Whitmire to get their thoughts on the issues before the election. In an interview, Whitmire said he’s “concerned” about what the Investigates team uncovers while looking into Houstonians’ water bill issues. Whitmire blamed water issues on the current administration.
Jackson Lee sent KPRC 2 a statement, saying, “I have focused on the water service, our water bills, and certainly the wastewater treatment consent decree that has been issued by the federal government. As the next Mayor of the City of Houston, these issues will be keenly important and how best to address them will be a priority.”
Here’s more on what they had to say.
The KPRC 2 Investigates team will not stop our ‘DRAINED’ Investigation until we get better answers for you. Email Investigator Amy Davis and Producer Andrea Slaydon if you need help. You can also look through the many ‘DRAINED’ stories we have done to see if you can find the help you need there.