City aims to get rid of steep water bills
Mayor Sylvester Turner on Tuesday promised Houston residents they will not have to pay exorbitant water bills for burst pipes or leaks after last week’s freeze.
“The goal is for you to not be encumbered with high water bills,” Turner said at a news conference Tuesday. “In fact, you will not be encumbered with high water bills.”
The mayor instructed Public Works to bring an item regarding the adjustment of customer bills
to City Council in the next couple weeks, said Alanna Reed, a Public Works spokeswoman.
The plan, as of now, would be to charge those customers the lower amount of either their last meter reading or the 12-month average for their account.
It is not clear yet how the city will identify those customers, or whether it preemptively will change the bill amount or ask residents to inquire about an adjustment when they receive it.
Turner said if residents do end up receiving a higher-than-usual bill, they should reach out to Public Works.
“You’re not going to be responsible for high water bills because of what happened last week,” Turner said.
District I City Councilmember Robert Gallegos proposed the idea at a special council meeting Friday.
Gallegos said Tuesday he was encouraged the mayor was pursuing the idea. He said he has received several reports of water gushing from water mains in his district, or folks returning home to find flooded floors.
“It’s stories like that that we have to consider. These individuals are struggling with COVID, or unemployment, or what have you, and we do not need to be sending them a large water bill,” Gallegos said. “I can imagine, in a situation like this, the horror stories.”
Public Works has received 9,000 calls for different forms of water service as of Monday, according to Reed. Officials have cautioned that the number of burst pipes and leaks is much higher than that, due to the number of people who shut off their water and pursued repairs without reporting damage to City Hall.
The promise of an average water bill could give residents peace of mind as they begin to recover from the storm, with property damage expected to reach tens of millions of dollars in the area.
Stephanie Gutierrez is one such resident who saw water rush into her southeast Houston home last week. She had been staying with her mother and returned home with her daughters last Tuesday to see if the power had been restored. It had, but about 45 minutes after they arrived, Gutierrez said her daughters noticed water coming from behind the baseboards. Soon, she said, it was coming “from everywhere.”
A pipe had burst, inundating much of the house with water. She said nearly the entire house sustained some form of damage, and it is too early to tell how much it will cost to recover.
She said Tuesday’s news that she would not have to worry about her water bill did provide some comfort.
“Any little help, really it’s going to go a long way,” Gutierrez said.
The city and county also have launched a relief fund to help people who cannot pay for repairs. The fund is accepting donations and has raised $5 million as of Tuesday, Turner said, though it is not accepting applications yet. More information is available at WinterStormReliefFund.org. Those who need relief can text HOUSTONFREEZE to 898211 for updates.
“We are still focused on their needs,” Turner said. “The city is not just going to move forward and leave them behind.”
Skyrocketing electric bills are a concern for many, as well, especially those with variable rate plans, which can increase or decrease with the market at the retailer’s discretion. The wholesale price for electricity, which usually goes for about $25 per megawatt hour, peaked at $9,000 during last week’s catastrophe.
The Public Utility Commission said Sunday it would prohibit retail electricity providers and utilities from disconnecting power or assessing late fees as state leaders try to address the financial issues. Turner has called on the state to cover customers’ massive bills if electricity providers do not do it themselves.
Reed emphasized that people still will need to pay water bills on time to avoid late fees. They can be made online or through an automated phone system at 713-3711265. Customer service representatives are available at 713-3711400.