Guthrie residents expressed concern in December after receiving unexpectedly high water bills, prompting city officials to provide an update on the root cause of the issue and outline steps to prevent future occurrences.
The problem stemmed from a malfunction in one of the city’s automatic meter reading base stations. In June 2024, the east-side base station, responsible for transmitting water usage data to the city’s billing system, stopped functioning. While water meters continued to accurately measure and store consumption data, the outage required the city to rely on estimated readings for approximately six months.
City Manager Eddie Faulkner explained, “In July, the Guthrie Public Works Authority approved the purchase of a replacement base station, which was installed and operational by mid-November. Unfortunately, this meant six months of water usage was consolidated into the December utility bills for about 150 of our 3,500 customers.”
The sudden adjustment resulted in unusually high bills for affected residents, sparking community frustration during the holiday season.
To address these concerns, the city implemented immediate measures:
- Billing Adjustments: Impacted customers were charged only for water usage recorded in November, with any discrepancies between estimated and actual usage waived.
- No Service Interruptions: Water disconnections were suspended for December to alleviate residents’ concerns.
- Enhanced Accuracy Checks: Public Works crews manually verified all meter readings and identification numbers on December 4, confirming the accuracy of the recorded data.
City officials outlined plans to improve the reliability of the utility billing system. If a meter fails to communicate with the base station, manual monthly verifications will occur until the issue is resolved. Additionally, the city is exploring the addition of a handheld transponder and a potential third base station to build redundancy into the system.
“These steps reflect our commitment to ensuring accurate and reliable billing for all customers,” Faulkner said.
At the December 17 Guthrie Public Works Authority meeting, trustees unanimously approved waiving the billing differences for impacted residents. The council voted 6-0 in favor of the full waiver, with Councilman Adam Ropp absent. This action is expected to cost the city an estimated $45,000 for the period from June to November 2024.
City council members and staff acknowledged there was miscommunication during the process but emphasized their focus on implementing measures to avoid similar issues in the future.
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