November 29
From Mayor Keith Keogh, City of Groveland
I’ve heard from many of you in recent days about your October water bills and thank you for reaching out. I’ve also seen multiple posts on social media and understand the surprise and frustration many of you are expressing.
Yes, the rates changed in October and the increase was expected to be about 40%. Some of you are reporting much higher percentages. At the same time, many residents saw a significant jump in usage, for which there is currently no official explanation.
I’ve asked staff to work quickly to explore and confirm:
• Any anomalies or errors in the billing system;
• The way water usage is collected and reported; and
• Potential meter malfunctions, including the new digital meters being installed. In fact, the city has stopped replacing water meters in the event the new equipment is playing a role.
We don’t have all the answers yet but this is our number one priority. You will hear from me with updates as new information comes in.
On top of all of this, I know some of you were unaware of the rate increase approved in August. To address this, we are actively exploring ways to expand our reach so that this doesn’t happen again. In the meantime, I encourage you to follow the city on Facebook and sign up for the city’s monthly newsletter to receive official and accurate information.
Many thanks and I hope your Thanksgiving was a good one.
