HOUSTON – Houston Mayor John Whitmire rolled out a temporary fix for inaccurate water bill complaints.
The plan includes a “set usage,” which will use previous bills to generate customers’ future bills. The plan is essentially a stopgap while the city gets a handle on unfair billing, sometimes generated by inaccurate, non-existent meter readings.
Allison Boyd, owner of Bubba’s Texas Burger Shack, a popular burger, beer and patio spot along Westpark near the Galleria, is convinced her business is a victim of the outgoing system, and it has resulted in unfairly high bills.
The problem for Boyd is that Mayor Whitmire’s aggressive new plan only applies to single-family residences. Multifamily residences and businesses, both big and small, will be unable to take advantage of the new bill-leveling plan.
“Multifamily and commercial customers have less variability in their water usage throughout the year and would not significantly benefit from moving to set usage during the replacements of reading devices,” an FAQ from the City of Houston read.
Still, a city representative working with KPRC 2 Investigates, agreed to take another look at Bubba’s problem:
“Our Customer Account Services team will reach out to Bubba’s Texas Burger Shack to review their account and resolve any concerns they may have. They have also put in an order to replace their remote reading device. They previously have sent crews to visually read the meter for water usage. Houston Public Works encourages customers to call 713-371-1400 with any questions on their account.”
KPRC 2 Investigates will monitor the progress.