Hundreds pack DeKalb town hall on sky-high water bills

For four hours, hundreds of people crowded the town hall meeting for DeKalb County Watershed bills, voicing concerns about bill spikes in the hundreds or thousands of dollars, fluctuating rates or a lack of bills for months.

Numerous families showed FOX 5 their water bills; for a timeframe as small as month or two month's usage, many had bills reaching from almost $1,000 to close to $3,000.

"The bill is $2,000," said one resident. "I cannot believe it," he said, waving his bill in front of county officials.

Residents who spoke before public officials complained of bills up to $5,000 for their elderly parents.

"My father's life was jeopardy," said one woman, whose elderly father had his water disconnected after a bill in the thousands of dollars.

A moratorium for disconnections was issued last month for DeKalb County residents until the end of the year.

Residents, carrying their bills or clipping their statements onto their clothing, angrily demanded answers from county officials, often interrupting the speakers for the meeting.

County officials have told FOX 5, the county is searching for the cause of the bill spikes, but have not pinpointed a cause. A slideshow for the audience named numerous possible causes, which range from issues with the new digital meters, to old meters, or communication problems between the water department and billing.

"There's not one cause for all of these challenges," said COO Zach Williams. "There's a myriad of causes and we are willing to look at each step in the process," he said, as officials have been unwilling to name a specific cause for the bill spikes.

Commissioner Nancy Jester, who organized the town hall, said the county must address problems in billing practices; while the water department monitors usage, and the finance department monitors the bills, Jester said the setup has organizational challenges.

"[DeKalb County Watershed is] not the biller. The biller comes from finance, and there's still no CFO," Jester said.

County officials have said bills for many residents have been delayed, as water officials looked to review homeowners' bills after the installation of digital meters.

Residents with billing problems still must file a formal complaint with the watershed department, despite the moratorium.

A moratorium for disconnections has been issued for DeKalb County residents until the end of the year.