Council pulls plug on bloated water bills

One-time suspension of city collection rules applies only to Harvey-impacted properties

City Council on Wednesday unanimously voted to forgive enormous water bills faced by thousands of Houston households after Hurricane Harvey.

Council agreed to the onetime suspension of the city’s bill collection rules after Houston Public Works found 6,362 homeowners’ water bills doubled — or more — during or immediately after Harvey. Ten commercial or industrial accounts saw similar spikes.

About 30 percent of the affected owners filed FEMA claims before the end of November, and will have their bills automatically reduced to their average monthly usage.

Others who filed a FEMA claim after Nov. 30, filed a private insurance claim related to Harvey, or can show other proof of Harvey damage should apply to Public Works for the special adjustment within 90 days and present the relevant documents.

The rule suspension also will partly reimburse homeowners who had to empty and refill flooded swimming pools; those residents will be billed only for the water used, rather than paying wastewater charges on the same volume, as typically would be the case.

“We’re finally getting common sense back into city government,” Councilman Jack Christie said shortly before the vote.

Mayor Sylvester Turner praised the work of Public Works officials, calling the move a “workable, pragmatic solution.”

Public Works Communications Director Alanna Reed said department testing showed the accuracy of the city’s water meters was not to blame, noting that high bill complaints affected less than 1 percent of all accounts.

The vast majority of the high Harvey bills involved homes flooded during Harvey. Reed said 82 percent of the identified cases had no specific explanation for the inflated bills, though officials surmised that many involved broken pipes and leaks caused by Harvey but not discovered until after floodwaters receded.

As a result of Wednesday’s vote, city coffers will forego an estimated $650,000 in utility payments from homeowners who promptly filled FEMA claims for Harvey damage.