Columbia Falls refunds big water bills that were in error

A Columbia Falls business and an individual will see significant refunds on their water bills.

In the first case, a review determined that, for more than 10 years, two apartment units had misaligned meter assignments in the billing software. As a result, the customer, Susan Webster, paid charges generated by their neighbor’s meter. The customer raised concerns repeatedly and specifically questioned unusually high usage. Only recently did staff verify the misalignment.

City council, in turn, approved a water refund in the amount of $943.13 in overcharges, to Webster.

In the second case, a city employee visited a local business,  Ace Hardware, and questioned the small square footage of their green space they irrigate, knowing what their monthly utility bill was. Upon further investigation it was discovered the software did not have the correct meter billing usage set after the meter was changed out. 

The end result was the store was refunded $4,063 in overcharges.

Council approved that refund as well.

Both bills were clerical errors and not meter malfunctions. As a result, City Manager Eric Hanks told council that he plans on consulting with the city attorney to craft a change to city ordinances that clarify the city’s policies for billing adjustment, particularly when it comes to clerical errors. The city already has code on if a meter or other equipment malfunctions 

In other city financial news, the city had to do a budget adjustment  not to exceed $125,000 in its sewer fund after a dump truck the department uses failed and needs to be replaced.

The truck will be financed through available cash in the fund.