City code changes address abnormal water bills  

The St. Petersburg City Council has approved several code changes to help protect residents from receiving exorbitant water bills – particularly in the wake of a natural disaster.

Thousands of households incurred excessive charges for abnormal water usage after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Noreen McClure addressed council members Thursday on behalf of her mother, 92, who owes the city over $10,000 for a vacant home with no detected leaks.

The city code previously only allowed officials to provide bill adjustments for a repaired involuntary leak. However, multiple changes will provide flexibility during anomalous events.

“Under our current ordinance, there’s really no relief we can provide,” said City Administrator Rob Gerdes. “The truth is, situations do occur, like water theft. We didn’t have that in the ordinance previously.”

The city will now charge the Tampa Bay Water rate of $2.64 per 1,000 gallons rather than $3.79 during abnormal events. Those include usage exceeding a customer’s three-month average consumption due to leaks, accidental plumbing damage, vandalism and water theft.

Residents with excessive charges following a declared local emergency now have 60 days to apply for a water or sewer adjustment. The problem reached a tipping point in January.

City staff could not access 3,000 water meters after Helene and 10,000 following Milton. An outdated billing system estimated payments; many topped $1,000.

Mayor Ken Welch suspended late fees and disconnections until Jan. 1. Exasperated residents subsequently flooded council members with emails and calls regarding water bills that exponentially increased after the storms. Administrators blamed leaks.

In February, Councilmember Gina Driscoll said it was “hard to imagine this many people” would simultaneously have a leak. “I don’t want anyone’s water to get cut off because they owe $2,000 when they should owe $200.”

Officials agreed not to deactivate water service or continue charging late fees for households with excessive water bills. They scheduled an emergency meeting to explore altering related city codes, which requires two public hearings.

At the time, the city still had a backlog of roughly 1,200 customers anxiously awaiting delayed bills. Candice Winter, interim billing and collections director, said Thursday that staff is “all caught up.”

She said they have also identified customers eligible for “additional relief adjustment under the flooded structure resolution” and have corrected accounts accordingly. “Additionally, each of those customers has been contacted, and a letter will be sent as well.”

David Flintom, customer support manager, said 42 residents sought adjustments for erroneous charges at this month’s Utility Billing Review Committee (UBRC). Officials were able to provide relief for 21 “right off the bat.”

The code changes allow residents to skip an arduous review process. Flintom said staff can now review applications and discern if the amendments apply at the departmental level.

Winter said the billing department’s website would reflect the changes and provide additional information. The marketing team will assist with public outreach.

Councilmember Deborah Figgs-Sanders noted that some customers, like McClure’s mother, may not immediately realize there is a problem with their water service. Gerdes said the code changes would provide flexibility to address those issues.

Tom Greene, assistant city administrator, said the city will proactively contact residents who qualify for an adjustment. Those unreachable will still receive a lowered bill.

Flintom noted that his department once handled 30 to 40 monthly adjustment requests. That number dropped to about 10 and soared after the storms. Officials have struggled to pinpoint a cause.

Claude Tankersley, public works administrator, said he remains unaware of any “technical glitches with the meters, in terms of over-reading. We do know there’s always been a history, as meters get older, that they under-read.”

Help is on the way. Council members also approved a contract with Stantec Consulting Services to analyze bill and consumption abnormalities and meter performance as part of an annual utility rate study.

Officials implemented new rates between Helene and Milton that reward water conservation and penalize heavy usage. Bills for the highest tier have nearly tripled since fiscal year 2024, and many residents, particularly those with Autopay, did not realize the discrepancies until it was too late.

Residents with questions can call the utility Accounts customer service department between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 727-893-7341. To register for the city’s free virtual water conservation workshops, visit the website here.