Water Fix
See this from the Chron:
Mayor John Whitmire revealed the details of his long-awaited water bill improvement plan Thursday, with the goal of providing relief to thousands of Houston customers who have received exorbitant bills in recent years.
Under the plan, customers who have been receiving city water for more than a year would be charged a monthly rate based on an average of up to 36 months of their billing data — minus freezes and droughts — until their water meter reader is working correctly, Whitmire said Thursday.
Those who have been using city water for less than a year will be charged an average rate of 3,000 gallons a month, the average for a single-family home in Houston, the mayor said. A customer charged under that rate would see a bill of $43.81 a month, according to the city’s water bill estimator.
Customers will receive a notification alerting them to their set usage, and the new rate should be reflected in their May 1 bill.
“It won’t be perfect,” Whitmire said. “But we believe it’s a solid plan that will address fair and accurate billing.”
Whitmire’s plan also comes with improvements to customer service. Customers’ water bills will have a phone number they can call if the cost deviates from the new rate. There will also be an expansion of in-person customer service appointments to assist with billing issues.
“If this plan is not a huge improvement and gets water billing off the news, then there’s gonna be a lot of people looking for work,” Whitmire said. “That’s how dead serious I am.”
Here is the entire read: Houston’s new water bill plan to aid customers with steep charges (houstonchronicle.com).
Folks know that Commentary has been following this issue closely. Heck, I even had my water meter problems. My only concern is this. The folks that the Mayor is counting on to fix this mess are the folks who created this mess. Stay tuned.
The featured photo is today’s Chron front page.
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I have been going through my files and I found this quote in a magazine from Gov. George W. Bush from October 1995:
“You cannot wall Mexico away from Texas. Our cultures are completely intertwined.”
A lot has changed in 29 years.
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I already voted by mail in the May 4, 2024, election. Early voting in person starts on Monday, April 22. The election includes the special election for State Senate District 15. I peaked at the early voting locations list. If you are a SD 15 Heights voter, you are going to have to go to Acres Homes, Downtown, Hwy 290, or West Gray for your nearest early voting location. As of this moment, the bingo hall is not an option.
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Four consecutive days of March Madness starts this evening.
The Astros are in Arlington for four games today through Monday.
Have a safe weekend.
