Daleville water board hears adjustment request

A monthly water bill for $900 was a topic of discussion at the Daleville Water Board meeting April 20.

That was the water bill Daleville business owner Jan Davenport asked the water board for assistance with.

Because the water board had adopted an updated bill adjustment policy at the last month’s meeting that would prohibit adjustments such as Davenport was requesting, the board opted to table any decision pending an opportunity to discuss the matter with Daleville Water Board Attorney Henry Steagall.

At issue is an October 2020 notification that Davenport said she received from the city water department telling her that she had a $900 bill reflecting use of 150,000 gallons of water in one month. “I had it shut off that day,” she told those attending the Daleville Water Board meeting April 20. “We checked everything and there were no leaks, no water anywhere,” she said.

Davenport said that her shop is in back of her store which is located on Daleville Avenue and both are on the same water meter. “We never found a leak, never found water anywhere,” she said. “That much water, they said, would fill up an Olympic sized swimming pool.”

Davenport said that she thought it was the water meter error and was told by water department personnel that they could have her meter checked but that if nothing was found to be wrong with it, she would be charged a $100 fee.

Davenport said she left the water off for three months before asking that it be reconnected. “My next water bill was $54,” she said, adding that that amount was more in line with bills prior to the $900 one.

“I believe it was the meter all the time or just a false reading,” she said. “That much water—you would have seen water somewhere.”

Davenport said that she had talked to the mayor, who also serves as superintendent of the city water board, about the matter and he told her to bring the issue to the board.

Davenport said that she is aware that there is a recent water bill adjustment policy change but that her problem started in October 2020, which was before the policy change was approved. “I’m asking y’all for help,” she said.

Josh Robertson, chairman of the Daleville Water Board, told Davenport the board can approve removing the sewage part of the water bill for a customer and that payment plans are available. “Our goal was to create a payment plan solution so a person doesn’t have a burden all at once,” Robertson said. “That was why we instituted that payment policy. No interest accrues on that as long as it is kept up with monthly. We don’t want to be too big a burden but we do have to recoup the amount of water used.”

“I understand that, Josh, but I didn’t use the water,” Davenport replied. “And we didn’t find any water anywhere. Business has been horrible the last two years and I just cannot afford another payment a month. I’ve been here 30 years and always paid my bills. I’m just asking for some help. Right now I’m just barely keeping the power on.”

Daleville Water Superintendent Orson Bullard said they had tested the meter and it did not show a defect.

“We’ve had several customers come up to request a test on their meter and the meters come back 90 percent of the time accurate.

“We tested her meter and it come back fine. We set her up on a payment plan and she said that is still too high because she said she is not making any money,” Bullard told the board. “That’s when she requested to come up here again.”

Water Board Member and City Councilman Jimmy Monk suggested asking the board attorney for guidance because the $900 water bill happened before policy was changed. “I just don’t want to lose a business here in Daleville,” he said. “During this time of COVID everybody is struggling.”

Robertson agreed. “One of the biggest problems is that we still don’t have a resolution of where the water went,” he said. “For all the years that we did adjustments, we never did adjustments without having some kind of evidence of something being fixed or the cause of the problem.”

The next meeting of the Daleville Water Board is May 18 at 5 p.m. in the Daleville City Hall Council Chamber. The meeting is open to the public.