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City of Sanford warns of changes coming with new water meters

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Published  September 20, 2024 7:38pm EDT
Sanford
FOX 35 Orlando

Sanford warns of changes coming with new water meters

The City of Sanford was having a lot of problems and getting a lot of complaints about its old water meters. Now, Mayor Art Woodruff says they’re getting complaints about the new water meters.

`SANFORD - The City of Sanford was having a lot of problems and getting a lot of complaints about its old water meters.

Now, Mayor Art Woodruff says they are getting complaints about the new water meters.

"It looks like it’s about 50/50 whether the bill goes up or goes down," the Mayor said. 

Dennis Kennedy and several other people in his neighborhood told me today they got new meters installed a couple of weeks ago. 

Kennedy’s old meter had been under-charging him for years, so he talked with FOX 35 News back in June when he randomly got hit with a bill several hundred dollars over what he was used to paying.

"I was like, ‘There’s no way,’" Kennedy told FOX 35. 

It turns out, he’d been billed retroactively for usage.

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The city says it’s now changed its policy regarding retroactive billing.

 "We’re not going to go back months or years or whatever and charge people when we didn’t know that was their bill," explained Mayor Woodruff. "We’re just moving forward with where they are now." 

The city says there are a few things to be aware of with these new meters. You can set up alerts about leaks or disruptions.

They get those alerts too, so if you cut the line, the city will know.

They’ll also know if you damage the meter or the antenna by accident – and if you break it, you buy it.

"We need to get this word out and let people know that they do need to be careful because if it gets hit by a lawn mower, it’ll take that antenna out," the Mayor said.

The city is a little ahead of schedule with this project. 

They’re installing 26,000 new meters in total, and they’re about a third of the way through. 

"It’s been a rough couple of years," said Mayor Woodruff. "But I think in the end, it’ll be a much better system for everybody." 

The city thinks it will be done with this project in about a year.

Live in Sanford, Marie Edinger, FOX 35 News.

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