WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Water Department began upgrading all water meters across the City in 2019 to include new real-time tracking of water usage; and
WHEREAS, Many residents who have had their meter replaced received exorbitantly high bills reaching multi-thousands of dollars the next month. The high bill cost is explained by the Philadelphia Water Department as recouping lost revenue as a result of undercharging usage from damaged or defective meters in past months; and
WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Water Department, in the case of a damaged or defective meter, issues bills based on average water use as an estimated reading or a zero-usage bill that includes only stormwater fees and service charges and places responsibility on the taxpayer to notice the mistake; and
WHEREAS, Once the old meter is replaced, the customer is charged for the water that was used during previous cycles. These bills have been documented as upwards of $6,000; and
WHEREAS, The payment agreements offered by the Philadelphia Water Department for residents facing high bills following the meter upgrade are limited in the support than can provide and the lengthy process of finding a resolution can leave these high bills looming over the heads of consumers for months; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Authorizes the Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities to hold hearings concerning the economic impact of the Philadelphia Water Department’s implementation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure on the residents of the City of Philadelphia.
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