City to fix problem with water bills

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Van Wert water customers who have had new meters installed recently may have noticed higher than usual water bills as of late. City officials said Friday they’re aware of the situation and are taking steps to correct it.

A statement issued by the city on Friday said water meters have been read quarterly for many years and charges were calculated on quarterly minimum usage, as well as a tiered system for additional usage. Customers then paid two monthly estimates followed by a so-called “catch-up” bill based on an actual meter reading covering a period of approximately 90 days.

In anticipation of the new water meters that would be read monthly, Van Wert City Council approved a change to go to a monthly billing system, which meant the quarterly numbers would be divided by three in order to make them monthly numbers.

As new meters were installed and continue to be installed, this was the intended procedure:

Step 1: the water customer receives a new meter.
Step 2: the meter is read and the bill is calculated using the quarterly system for the last time.
Step 3: Going forward, the customer’s meter would be read monthly and billed using the new monthly system.

However, after Step 1 the software incorrectly switched to the monthly system in Step 2. This resulted in an over calculation for some households.

As far as what happens next – the statement said approximately 1,700 households will have their August water bill recalculated properly using the quarterly system. Of note, some households will receive a credit on their September bill and they will begin to have their meter read monthly.

The rest of the city (approximately 3,000 households) will also have their August bill recalculated since their estimate may have been inappropriate. They will receive another estimated bill in September, followed by their “catch-up” bill in October.

Barring an unforeseen delay, the water meter installation process and the last quarterly billing period will be completed with the October bill. The entire city will then be on monthly readings beginning with the November bill.

In the statement, city officials apologized for the mistake and thanked those affected for their patience.