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Water customer appeals unusually large bill

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A Ramona water district customer said she is a fighter for what she believes is right and she is “not OK” with what occurred during her recent appeal to the water board.

“It was not an appeal. I’m just really appalled by the whole process,” said Elaine Bailey.

Bailey had requested an appeal regarding her May bill, which was 10 times her average bill.

“I was very, very surprised because there was no difference,” she told the board about receiving the $1,624 bill.

For a bill that high, Bailey said she would have to use 200,000 gallons of water, which would fill 100 water trucks.

On average, Bailey said her bills run $150 to $160 per month, and she did not use any more water in May, nor did she see additional water on her property.

According to the district, a technician visited the property in the 16000 block of Highland Valley Road and verified the meter reading was accurate and at that point the meter was indicating a more normal level of usage, so there did not appear to be a leak in progress.

Staff also reported that the meter was later swapped out and tested for accuracy.

“Anything that went through the meter would be your water,” board president Darrell Beck told her at the Nov. 10 meeting, adding that the district cannot gift public funds.

Bailey, however, noted that her meter is next to another property owner’s meter and both are close to the road. Director Joe Zenovic asked whether the bill for the other meter had been compared with hers, to which Bailey replied no.

District staff noted in the agenda memo that Bailey has a large property with a home, pool, seven horses and a ravine and said there are some above-ground PVC water pipes on her property that appear to have had recent repairs.

“Those water pipes have never broken and have never been fixed,” she said.

As an eighth-grade teacher, Bailey said she teaches integrity.

“I did not use the water. I have the highest amount of integrity and I’ve gone through a lot to get to this point,” she said.

A while back, Bailey said there was a leak on her property and she had a $400 bill.

She fixed the leak and paid the bill, she said, but this time she checked her property as well as her pool and there were no leaks.

Bailey also said she went through the proper channels in contacting the district and its administration.

According to Bailey, she received a district notice in the mail that stated her water would be shut off if she didn’t pay her bill in full and that interest was accruing on the approximately $1,600; however, RMWD General Manager David Barnum said no interest would be charged.

Director Jim Hickle said he had no answers as to how she had a high meter reading, but he believed that she did not use 200,000 gallons of water.

“We’ve had this happen several times since I’ve been on the board,” Beck said of customers complaining of an unusually large water bill, adding that there can be different reasons but the district is not responsible for water that passes through the meter.

When Beck commented about how meters work, Hickle replied: “I’m a mechanical engineer. I understand completely how water meters work. Meters are not perfect. It’s a plain and simple fact.”

Hickle added that it becomes a judgment call.

“We’re put here on this board to listen and hear appeals...and we get to judge whether it has merit,” he said.

Hickle added that to just hear and say 100 percent of cases will set precedent, “then why have the appeal process?”

The board voted 4-1 that Bailey will have to pay the $1,624 bill but is giving her a 36-month payment plan rather than 12 months.

Hickle was the lone dissenter. Zenovic suggested that if additional information comes to light, the board could take her matter into consideration again.

Bailey told the Sentinel she is not satisfied and will take further steps.

“It’s not even the $1,600. It’s the principle,” she said. “I feel they didn’t listen to me.”

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