Short notice on water rate increase riles resident

When a utility increases its rates, the utility must, by law, notify customers ahead of time. In Mississippi, from the time you are notified, you have 20 days to complain to the Public Service Commission about the increase.

Dan Hall received a notice yesterday, Oct. 23, that his water bill was going up. The notification from the City of Vicksburg Water Department was dated Oct. 10, 2019, leaving him six days to get a complaint to the PSC. Additionally, Hall was told he had to pay for the service even though he could not use the city-supplied water due to flooding.

“We were flooded out for six months,” Hall said. “I asked if they would suspend charges and (was) told no even though the meter was 5 feet underwater.”

The Vicksburg Daily News contacted Tammy Christmas, manager of the City of Vicksburg Water Department, to discuss what happened to Dan Hall.

“His property is one of less than 20 affected,” Christmas said. “Since his property uses city water but doesn’t sit in the city, there are a different set of rules governing how he is notified.”

When asked why Hall wasn’t notified sooner she replied, “We mailed the notices to the billing address and received some of them back. So we then sent them back out to the mailing address on the account.”

Christmas then looked around her rather full desk, opened a drawer and produced some of the notices that were returned by the Postal Service.

Water Administration manager Tammy Christmas shows some of the returned notifications.

The rate increase was approved by the city in August 2018. The increase was applied in two phases: the first 66-cent increase was effective October 2018, and the second 66 cent increase in October 2019.

Most people might not have noticed the increase because the $5 to $8 per month EPA fee was removed from residential bills this month, making it appear the cost of water had gone down.

Christmas said there was little she could do from her office about the issue of meters being under water. “None of us could do anything about the flood” she said. She suggested Mr. Hall may be able to speak with others in the administration who may be able to assist him.