Guthrie Leaders Addressing Water Billing Problems For 150 Customers

Several Guthrie residents demanded action from city administrators after they discovered unexpected high water bills.

On Tuesday, the city council is learning about options to fix the issues. About 150 Guthrie customers were affected by the billing issues.

OUR FIRST REPORT: Guthrie Utility Customers Face Higher Bills Due To Meter Malfunction

Some people received bills hundreds of dollars higher than usual, but they walked out of Tuesday’s meeting with some relief. Chad and Tami Pierson wanted to understand why their bill was hundreds of dollars higher than normal. 

“It was eight hundred and forty dollars,” said Tami Pierson, who lives in Guthrie. “That’s not normal.” 

The city said they’re brainstorming solutions. 

“That’s what needs to be done,” Chad Pierson said. 

Guthrie city manager Eddie Faulkner said a bay station that electronically reads water usage malfunctioned. It took months for the city to replace it in November. 

“Had a catastrophic failure,” Faulkner said. “Unfortunately, that’s something we weren’t prepared for. We ended up having to estimate and average bills for about six months.” 

Faulkner said there could be a problem with their estimates for certain customers. He said they will investigate everyone’s bills. 

“We will never charge any customer for water they didn’t use,” Faulkner said. 

For the moment the Piersons were satisfied. “A lot of them were interested in the solution so that’s a good thing,” Tami Pierson said. “Recently purchasing a home and getting married – every penny counts.” 

They’re okay with bills they’re prepared to pay. “Yeah, it’ll make Christmas better,” Chad Pierson said. 

Now they’ll wait for their leaders to act on their words. 

“Wait and see what they come up with; what solution and go from there,” Tami Pierson said. 

The city said staff will go to people’s homes and manually check water usage to find any errors. That work will begin on Wednesday. The city said if anyone has a question about their bill they should contact the city right away. They will not charge any late fees or shut anyone’s water off in December.