Sanford water upgrades spark customer billing confusion

Sanford water upgrades spark customer confusion

FOX 35 News has been reporting on the City of Sanford changing out its water meters – and the issues with customers’ bills that have come with that.

SANFORD, Fla. - FOX 35 News has been reporting on the City of Sanford changing out its water meters – and the issues with customers’ bills that have come with that.

What we know:

The City of Sanford is in the midst of a large-scale water meter replacement project, with roughly two-thirds of its 25,000 meters upgraded so far. The new digital meters are intended to provide more accurate, remotely collected readings. However, residents like April Borgard say their water bills have spiked without explanation, during that transition.

City officials acknowledge that many of the old meters were providing faulty readings and that the upgrade to more precise meters may result in higher bills for some customers.

What we don't know:

Since the old meters didn’t work well, Sanford residents are now finding out they’ve been under-billed for years. That leads to massive bill increases when the City suddenly gets an accurate reading and bills for the actual usage.

The City says it automatically reimburses customers who were over-billed for usage, but residents have told FOX 35 they aren’t comfortable with that system. They’re worried about when that reimbursement will come, if the system even detects the issue in the first place; and they don’t like the thought of paying upfront for an inaccurate bill.

The backstory:

FOX 35 has been reporting on Sanford’s meter upgrade since at least June of last year, with follow-up stories in September and January. Residents have repeatedly shared stories of extreme billing inconsistencies following the meter switch.

April Borgard became the latest customer to speak out after seeing the January report. Her case mirrors others: historically consistent bills, followed by sudden, unexplained spikes of over $300.

The City of Sanford told FOX 35 that Borgard’s old water meter was not working properly, and she was being billed at the minimum rate for nearly two years straight. That’s been a frequent problem FOX 35 has encountered throughout our reporting.

In Borgard’s case, the high bills came when the City says it sent someone to manually read her water meter and determine the actual usage; other customers learned about their usage when the City installed their new meter.

Big picture view:

Water is a basic utility that residents can't go without, and for those on fixed incomes—like Borgard’s family—unexpected charges are more than just an inconvenience. The ongoing rollout of the new system, paired with the stress of scrambling to pay unexpectedly high bills, has left some residents feeling overlooked.

What they're saying:

"I was shocked to open it because I was like, ‘Wait a second, I used 29,000 gallons of water? How could that possibly be?’" said April Borgard. "We had an inspector come out and they didn’t find any leaks in the home."

"We’re on a fixed income," she added. "We don’t have extra, so we're just struggling."

City officials say higher bills may be the result of more accurate readings.

"Because many of the old meters were not providing correct readings, customers may experience higher bills as new meters begin to measure actual usage more accurately," said the City’s Utility Customer Service Supervisor.

Utilities Engineering Manager Michael Cannon previously acknowledged the issue.

"We do know there’s a problem, but we’re working to solve it – and we ask that people bear with us in the meantime."

He added, "If you see a discrepancy in the bill that just doesn't look right to you, please reach out and get a hold of customer service."

Borgard, still frustrated, isn’t convinced: "I don’t know what’s going on. It’s just baffling."

After FOX 35’s report on Borgard’s concerns aired, the City of Sanford said in a statement,

"A decision has been made to install a new meter, out of schedule, so that consumption can be accurately recorded. Following installation, staff will monitor usage over the next few months to determine whether a credit should be issued for the period prior to the meter replacement."

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