INKSTER, Mich. – Inkster residents say water bills have spiked since the city installed new water meters last year, and homeowners told the Inkster City Council Monday that their bills keep rising.
Some homeowners said the increases have been dramatic and unexplained, leaving families worried about mounting costs.
“There is something wrong with those meters. I have literally watched it run when the water’s off,” one resident told the council.
Several residents described bills that climbed month to month, in some cases skyrocketing thousands of dollars.
The bills have been a major financial strain for homeowners like Darlene Wilson and Cary Randall Stevenson, who previously paid about $77 a month.
After their billing was delayed for the past few months, they continued to pay their usual rate to the city, only to see charges jump to more than $500 last month.
“They’re telling me that water must have went through my meter, and it did not,” Randall Stevenson said.
They say they were told by the city’s water department that it was likely due to a leak, so they paid it.
Then this month their bill jumped to just shy of $700.
“We’re both on social security. There’s no way we can keep coming up with this money every month,” Wilson said.
The city acknowledged earlier billing problems.
In October, officials said a data migration error affected hundreds of accounts and caused incorrect bills.
Mayor Byron Nolen said the issue has since been resolved, but some meters may still be malfunctioning.
“Sometimes you’ll get up to 10% of the meters you buy will be – they’ll misfunction,” Nolen said. “We have warranties, so we can replace them out and they’ll replace it because we spend a lot of money on the meters.”
Nolen urged residents who believe their bills are wrong to contact the water department so staff can review accounts.
“They first have to contact us, get their information, and then we’ll analyze their account and figure out what’s wrong,” Nolen said. “Sometimes it’s continuous use. They may have a leak they don’t know about, or it could be a mechanical problem with the water meter. When we figure that out, we can come out and then get them back on track.”
Because of ongoing billing issues, the city is waiving late fees and will credit residents’ accounts if they have overpaid.
City council members said they will take steps to address the complaints and work with the water department to ensure bills are accurate.