Council discusses adding second yearly water adjustment for city residents

Published 9:46 am Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Meridian residents and business owners with water leaks have been able to get some relief due to a standing policy allowing one water adjustment per year for each account. Now, the Meridian City Council is considering allowing up to two adjustments per year to help customers avoid major increases to their bills.

City Councilman Dwayne Davis, who brought the issue to the council in a work session Tuesday, said a local church in his ward typically has a water bill of approximately $40 to $50. An unexpected leak, however, made that bill climb to $5,000, he said.

“The residents is the ones feeling the bite of this,” he said.

Water meters installed by the city are supposed to create alerts about sudden, unexpected changes in water usage that would allow water department staff to reach out to the customer and see if a leak has occurred. It is one of several ongoing issues with the current water meter system the city is working to address. Engineers with Waggoner Engineering are currently working to develop a request for proposals that will be used to solicit a new system to replace the current meters.

Councilwoman Romande Walker said discrepancies with water meters have impacted residents in her ward as well, and she supports Davis’ request to allow an additional adjustment per year.

Councilman Dustin Hill said he supports making the change as well. It’s a step the council can take to relieve the burden on residents while city officials work toward getting a new system.

“It’s definitely an olive branch that we can extend,” he said.

City Attorney Will Simmons said the council can vote to change its policy, but some care needs to be taken to make sure alterations won’t impact the revenue for the water department. The council is in the process of borrowing up to $50 million to address problems with its sewer system as mandated by a federal consent decree, and water department revenue is pledged to pay debt service on that bond as well as a previous $40 million bond for the same purpose.

Simmons said some care needs to be taken to make sure the council’s actions doesn’t jeopardize the city’s ability to pay that money back.

Chief Administrative Officer Craig Hitt said city officials will study the issue over the next several weeks and come up with a proposal for the council to review at an upcoming work session.