A contract water meter reader for the City of Guthrie was terminated after city officials learned meters were not being reported correctly. That has left some customers with a larger than normal water bill.
In a letter obtained by Guthrie News Page, City Attorney Randel Shadid informed Burrell, Inc. that on Aug. 7 the contract between the company and the Guthrie Public Works Authority (GPWA) was terminated effectively for failure to perform under the terms of the contract. The contract was entered on Sept. 18, 2012.
GNP learned the company simply did not read the meters and estimated the readings or under estimated them. The contractor’s mistakes came in the summer months of May, June and July.
Customers were not charged properly and now are having to pay for the past consumption months later.
City officials explain the water was consumed during that specific time, but that the meters were not recorded correctly to their office. The burden is now on the customers, who face a one-time charge to correct the previous month’s bills. However, the city has set up a zero interest payment plan for customers to help reduce their bill.
Some customers saw very small to no difference in their August bill while others bills doubled in amount. It is not yet known how many customers have been affected.
Shadid stated in the letter to Burrell, “we can no longer accept your inadequate service which is harming the GPWA and creating serious conflict with customers who are receiving incorrect billings.”
Not only were Guthrie customers affected by the contractor, but Kingfisher customers as well. The same contractor was contracted for both communities.
According to Kingfisher’s City Manager, Dave Slezickey a majority of Kingfisher’s customers were affected and that some received bills hundreds of dollars higher than usual, including himself.
Slezickey, who wrote a letter to residents on the city’s website, says they will look into possibly adding automated meters. Guthrie has already voted and approved to install the automated meters.
Burrell, Inc. told Guthrie and Kingfisher officials that a relative’s home was destroyed by the May tornado in Moore and therefore was unable to read the meters. Slezickey, in his statement, added the owner was also going through personal and medical issues.
In the Guthrie contract, Shadid states the contract was breached for failure to maintain a level of accuracy in the readings and provide meter readings in an acceptable format by the 19th of each month.
The contractor, who provided the service to Kingfisher since 2007, was paid $.73 per meter in Kingfisher and $.78 per meter in Guthrie per month.
Even though you hire and try to blame everything on contractors, you are responsible. You should have to pay for under-estimates, not residents. Residents were already billed and paid their bills.
My bill went from $95 to $145. I just hope whoever starts reading them now will at least put the covers back on properly. My cousin was visiting from out of state and was walking from her car up to her parents house while it was dark outside and stepped on one and fell and hurt herself.
Numbers still dont add up or for that matter come close to adding up. I have my meter a certain way and know if someone has read it and cant tell ya the last time its been opened up for reading. Its not a money issue its principle. Everyone in my crib is allowed to take showers on Tuesdays and Fridays and every other Sunday until this bill goes down. #whatsthatsmell?
This is especially hard on people with fixed incomes, my bill was way higher this month than usual, It does no good to call to discuss it, they have an answer for everything. It’s not our fault they hired jerks to read our meters,but truthfully even when the city itself was reading them, they guesstimated them,I personally have sat right here in my kitchen and watched them, when the meter was so muddy there was no way they could have seen the numbers.
Contrary to this article, Guthrie customers were not affected by the contractor. Guthrie customers were affected by GPWA. GPWA is responsible for accurate readings but instead elected to contract that out. GPWA failed to select even an adequate contractor. GPWA also failed to adequately monitor their contractor to assure accurate readings. Bills to customers are for the sum total of GPWA’s failures. GPWA should pay for their own failures.
This is the same old story contractors screws of city of Guthrie. They do it because its easy to do just look at the airport.
I think since the contractors so called did it then THEY should have to pay for it not the customers. We were responsible and pay every bill we got in a timely manner.
Where is the logic for water “consumption” above our usual rates for the months of May, June, and July? Isn’t it strange that bills increased in two of the months when the weather was unusually rainy and Nature was doing the watering for those who have outdoor plants and gardens?
Wouldn’t it be interesting to know the rest of the story? How many water bills were doubled or tripled and from which areas of the city, and exactly when and how the errors were discovered?
Kingfisher just had the same prob with that contractor and Guthrie turns around and his him..I think it was on purpose to increase the money coming in and blame it on the contractor