Several Guthrie residents got an unpleasant gift to start this holiday season when they opened their December water bills. These residents were shocked to see the massive amounts they owed, substantially higher than their normal amounts.
The larger bills drew the ire of customers who vented their frustrations Monday publicly and in social media posts.
In response, the City of Guthrie released a statement saying approximately 150 of Guthrie’s 3,500 water customers are experiencing higher-than-normal water bills this month.
“ The City of Guthrie employs an automatic meter reading system, which utilizes an antenna to read our water meters,” the statement read. “Approximately six months ago, one of the meter reading stationsontheeastsideoftown malfunctioned, necessitating the utility office to rely on estimated water usage rather than actual readings.”
The statement said in November, a replacement station was installed, allowing for accurate readings of water consumption. Consequently, the discrepancies resulting from estimates during the downtime were incorporated into the December bills, reflecting the actual usage recorded in November.
“We understand that this situation poses a significant challenge for many residents, especially during the holiday season. To alleviate this burden, the City of Guthrie’s utility office will only charge impacted customers for their water usage as reflected in the November bill for the December 15th due date,” the statement said. “Additionally, no water disconnections will occur throughout December. For those who have experienced any overages, please rest assured that we are working on the best solution for all impacted customers.”
City officials released an updatedstatementonTuesday, December 3, stating that the City would send crews out to manually verify all meter readings due to an issue with the automatic reading system. “Once we have completed the readings, we will go back and compare the manual reads with the data in our system,” the statement said. “When we have confirmed that we have accurate information, we will evaluate all possible solutions that lead to the best outcome for our affected residents.”
Tommy and Stephanie Wageman of Guthrie told Fox25 News that their bill is normally around $80, but this month they were surprised with a bill over $1,500.
“Our bill’s normally $85 even with $100, $125, that we can do. But $1,500 No, ma’am,” Wageman told the Oklahoma City news outlet.
The City of Guthrie’s s t atement added “The City of Guthrie is commit ted to collaborating with all affected water customers to ensure a satisfactory resolution to this issue.”