Problems with the city’s wireless network used to read water meters are responsible for the high water bills some residents have received recently, the Meridian City Council was told Wednesday.

Councilman Dwayne Davis requested more information about the city’s process of reading meters after constituents approached him about abnormally high bills they had received. He said his understanding of the issue was that the city incorrectly read the meter.

“We’re trying to find out why does she have to pay that amount if the city isn’t doing its job,” he said.

Stella Anderson, utility accounts superintendent for the city, said occasional malfunctions or equipment failures prevent the city from receiving usage readings from customers’ meters. When that happens, the city’s software uses the account’s previous usage to estimate what the bill should be.

When operating properly, individual meter readings are sent to one of 68 repeaters stationed throughout the city, Anderson said. From there, the repeaters pass the data on to the city’s 18 collectors. Those collectors then transmit the information to the city, where the usage data from each meter is used to generate bills for each account, she said.

Recently, however, two collectors, one of Highway 39 and another on Highway 19 South have been malfunctioning, and the city has been using the computer’s estimated usage for several accounts as actual readings have not been available, Anderson said.

Long lead times for parts and equipment needed to maintain the city’s wireless meter network have still not recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, Anderson said, which disrupted supply chains globally as manufacturing facilities, transportation companies, retailers and more were forced to close or modify hours. Parts needed to keep the city’s collectors operational often take six months or longer to receive once they are ordered, she said.

For the particular account Davis mentioned, Anderson said the computer underestimated water usage for three billing cycles before an accurate reading could be taken. That resulted in a higher bill as the account was billed for both its normal usage during the billing cycle and the difference between the computer’s estimate and actual use.

Anderson said she understood the customer’s frustration, and there were other accounts in similar situations.

“The ramifications of this auto-estimate system are what we deal with week after week,” she said.

The resident who received the bill is asking the council to waive the additional water charges arguing they should not be held responsible for the city’s mistake.

Councilman Joe Norwood Jr. said he wasn’t sure what authority the council has over the city’s billing processes and whether or not it can legally forgive the debt. He encouraged residents with concerns about their bills to continue to work with the city’s billing department to clear things up.

Anderson said she encourages customers to look closely at their water bills each month to make sure the charges make sense. Usage that is abnormally high or low could point to a larger problem, she said.

“We anticipate customers reviewing their bills and giving us a call when something is off,” she said.