NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The New Orleans City Council’s Utility, Cable, Telecommunications and Technology Committee brought in workers from the Sewerage and Water Board for its meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 13, to discuss helping customers who are behind on their water bills. Some council members wanted to know why the SWB opted not to suspend disconnects during this summer’s extreme heat.
Sewerage and Water Board Executive Director Ghassan Korban told the committee that suspending disconnects only creates more problems later because it doesn’t stop the meter from running, so residents end up owing an even larger bill once disconnects resume.
Korban said, “We also know for a fact that many other people who are not necessarily in financial need or struggle to pay their bills take advantage of the suspension, and they stop paying, and we know that historically, and we know that affects our bottom line.”
Korban suggested the creation of a city, state or federal program like one used during the pandemic that provided $1.8 million to help people pay their bills.
Some council members pointed out that Entergy suspended disconnects during the extreme heat.
Councilman J.P. Morrell also noted that the SWB receives $65 million in taxpayer money.
During the committee hearing, the council also approved the findings for the first round of SWB customer appeal cases.
Two years ago, the council began looking at creating a new appeals process for customers who wished to challenge their water bills. The plan that was eventually approved requires an outside company to review the cases.
During the meeting, Morrell announced that of 105 appeals, 50 met the requirements to be reviews by the outside company. Of those, the company returned decisions on 45 cases. The council did not announce the outcomes of each individual case but did approve all 45 decisions.
Wednesday afternoon, the council released a statement that said that 36 appeals were found in favor of the SWB customers.
In one of those cases, the appeals manager recommended discharging all incorrect bills prior to January 2018 for failing to repair the meter and for failure to provide more information regarding the basis for large bills.
“With this extra layer of accountability, customers have saved thousands of dollars and been relieved of the burden of erroneous bills,” Morrell said.
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