Pink Hill residents face water bill discrepancies; New mayor addresses software glitch
Pink Hill: Residents of Pink Hill are grappling with a perplexing situation as they receive unusually high water bills due to a software malfunction. Pink Hill resident Suzie Baker took to Facebook to express her concerns about her recent water bill.
Baker's post highlighted the severity of the issue: "I’d say that there’s somebody at the Townhall that doesn’t like me or either they’ve got a serious computer problem going on. Needless to say I’m not paying this bill, but I will tell you what you can do with it. I did not use over 2,000,000 gallons of water and I do not have a 2,639,607 gallon leak."
The frustration in Baker's post was palpable, as she questioned the competence of those handling the billing process. Accompanying her post were two images of the water bill, evidencing the exorbitant charge.
Recently sworn in Pink Hill Mayor Mike Horne addressed the issue, acknowledging the billing errors and outlining steps being taken to resolve them. According to Horne, the problem stemmed from a recent change in the water billing software by the previous administration.
"We have seen several water bills all messed up," Horne explained. "It seems the past mayor changed the water billing software company from the one that has been used for a long time to a new company. Why? I have no idea. And it seems no one else knew on the board it was changed."
The new software has experienced glitches causing these billing inaccuracies. To rectify the situation, the town is reverting to the previous Citi-pack System for reference.
Horne emphasized the ongoing efforts to correct the issues: "Commissioner Michael Whitfield, myself, and Commissioner Pete Fantini have been working in the office getting things caught up with water deposits and changed all locks and computer security checks."
Further, Horne mentioned the hiring of new clerks and the continued contracting of the Water and Sewer Departments to WASA, a company he praised for its services. He expressed optimism about the progress being made: "We will be hiring a utility guy to take care of other things around town, and we are in the process of talking with a local gentleman now. We are making progress. I would say we are doing great considering we are starting from scratch."
The town's leadership appears committed to resolving the issue and preventing future occurrences, as Horne concluded, "We have a board that is willing to put in the work together to get things done, even if it means jumping in and doing it ourselves."
Residents impacted by the software glitch can call or visit town hall.
Horne said, “[Impacted residents] can call the town hall starting tomorrow. This is so we can find out who they are so we can go back in the system and check what there average bill has been. They can stop by starting tomorrow between 8:00 am and 4:00pm.”
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