Houstonians continue having issues with incorrect water bills despite 9 changes to city ordinance

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — One month ago, the Houston City Council made changes, saying it would now be easier to fix incorrect water bills.

For years, homeowners have said they were being charged hundreds and thousands of dollars more then they were using.

In early December, met Patricia Garcia in front of Houston Public Works where she was trying to get answers as to why her mother’s water bill jumped hundreds of dollars.

“We can’t get no help. We don’t know what to do,” Garcia said.

The next day, on Dec. 13, Houston City Council made changes, which members said should make it easier to fix high water bills with nine changes to city ordinance. A month later, Garcia said these changes hadn’t helped her at all.

“I was very hopeful they were going to help out, but we’ve got no call it’s been a month already and no call. We don’t want my mother’s water to be shut off,” Garcia said.

According to Houston Public Works, there have been 2,300 requests for water bill adjustment, and 1,621 bills have been adjusted since Dec. 13.

After a city council meeting on Wednesday, Mayor John Whitmire addressed ongoing water bill issues.

“People are still having difficulty with their water bills. I hear it in my neighborhood, I hear it across Houston, and we’ve got to do more,” Whitmire said.

Patricia went back to Public Works in person Tuesday only to be told no one could meet with her. She did get a call back, and she was told they would come to check her meter again, but if nothing wrong was detected, she would be stuck paying hundreds of dollars every month with her elderly mother’s fixed income.

“This is just ridiculous we’re not getting any kind of help,” Garcia said.

The nine city ordinances do not address faulty meters, a common culprit for high water bills that has also reported on extensively.