The county government in Anne Arundel is to shelve the $35 it usually charges for rereading water meters, after scores of residents called in to report that their water bills were much higher than usual.
The county government mentioned that charges would go up by 4.8% for water bills and 4.9% for sewer bills, but some residents are receiving bills that are more than double what they usually pay.
According to CapitalGazette.com, Alayna Charland, a long-time Crofton resident, received a bill of $347 during this period last year. This year, during the same period, her bill was $1292.53, which is an increase of more than 250%. Water bills are often sent out with the issuing company’s official Letterheads on them.
The cause of the increase is being investigated, but the three main possibilities being considered are leaks in individual properties, faulty meters, and increased water consumption.
Residents insist they are not using significantly more water, and argue that the fact that numerous people are reporting the same problem suggests an underlying issue. The fees for rereading meters was waived so that the county can check the meters and look for leaks.
Matt Diehl from the Department of Public Works stated that:
“We’ll work with everyone who has concerns and inquiries about their high bill. We want to ensure that there is trust and that their bill is an accurate reflection of their water consumption.”
Similar reports of high bills were made in 2015 and the investigations showed that it was because water consumption had increased.
Get a Free Quote for Letterheads
