Homeowners in Calvert County, Maryland, are fighting water bills in the thousands of dollars that many thought were a mistake before they learned they actually owed the money.
The residents said they received the high water bills in the final weeks of 2022.
“I received our bill after Christmas for $16,800,” Peta Sinclair said. “I was surprised; I cried.”
She said getting a bill that high for a family of four was shocking and confusing.
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“We didn’t know how we’re going to pay this,” Sinclair said. “We have an 18-year-old preparing for college, so now we’re making the determination: Are we going to pay for college, or are we going to pay this bill?”
Residents learned it was part of an audit authorized by the county commission in September 2016.
Residents were being charged a connection fee based on their water usage. The fees are important for long-term maintenance and upgrades, but the audit happened during the pandemic when many were working from home.
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“And that’s not accurate, and it’s not fair,” Sinclair said.
We have an 18-year-old preparing for college, so now we’re making the determination: Are we going to pay for college, or are we going to pay this bill?
Peta Sinclair, Calvert County homeowner
“And at the time it was presented to the board of county commissioners, the director of public works clearly stated that this resolution was intended only for commercial businesses and would not affect the homeowners in any way,” said Sherri Verdon, who received a $3,000 bill.
According to a county memo, the audit found “220 residential customers and 87 businesses were determined to be using capacity in excess of 120% of their current allocation.”
Jennifer Naron got a bill for $6,000.
“And I had already seen posts on Facebook of other people having received these,” she said. “I don’t have that kind of money.”
“I’ll tell you up front, when we look at, from a county perspective, the way that was handled was not done well,” Calvert County Administrator Mark Willis said. “The customer service was horrible.”
He took the fall for how it was handled, saying residents should have been given more information and given the opportunity to reduce their water use.
County commissioners will consider these recommendations at their meeting Tuesday:
- pausing billing from the audit
- reassessing customer use outside the pandemic period
- identifying potential discrepancies
- returning with the new findings
“We’ll take as long as we need to take to get that right,” Willis said. “It could be six months; it could be a year; it could be longer than that.”
