The town of Bayfield is working to resolve a problem with its monthly utility billing setup.
At least one Bayfield resident, John Werner, expressed concern over not receiving any utility bills dating back to September, as well as concerns it could lead to one hefty bill around Christmastime.
Town Manager Katie Sickles said in an email to The Durango Herald that although she could not comment on where the billing issues stem from, citing “privacy of utility accounts,” there were some billing issue errors over the past several years that were “sidelined perhaps because of pressure on pending deadlines.”
She also said that for the most part, about 5% to 10% of billing errors have taken hours or days of investigation. Town officials emailed every utility customer in mid-October explaining what had happened, she said.
Every utility bill has been delayed, which includes about 1,170 residential accounts and 140 commercial accounts, Sickles said.
“I believe that every customer would like the correct bill on a timely basis. It is unfortunate that the majority of billings are delayed,” she said.
In the meantime, Sickles said the town suggests that if customers are unsure how much their latest utility bills may cost that they “consider paying their best guess” as to what that sum may be, or pay an amount similar to what they paid this time last year to keep current on those payments.
Werner, a Dove Ranch resident, said in a phone interview that he was told to expect a bill in December, but was not given a clear explanation about what was behind the billing problems.
“It’s just kind of weird. Can’t really get a straight answer from anybody,” he said. “We even had to find out what our balance was to just pay what we had.”
He now believes the issue may relate to water meter readings and whether the town may struggling to read them accurately.
Werner called the town just to find out how much his latest bill would cost, which he took care of ahead of time to avoid a larger bill during the Christmas holiday season.
“I’m just concerned there’s families out there that are just going to not pay the bill, then they’re just going to (get) hit with three months of utilities when it comes up,” he said.
The Herald reached out to town board members Kat Katsos, Brenna Morlan and Laura MacLaurin, but did not immediately hear back Tuesday.
When asked what kind of payment plan may be implemented for affected residents so they wouldn’t have to worry about their Christmas shopping budgets, Sickles made note of Resolution 631, which will waive penalties on trash, water, stormwater, sewer and mosquito control fees until Feb. 1, 2025, while also retroactively approving delays for September utility bills.
That resolution was adopted on Oct. 1 amid staff shortages and to get caught up with water meter issues.
“With the billing delays there is also a holiday on late penalties or other consequences of lack of payment,” Sickles said. “As soon as we get back on track we will do our best to get the word out.”
mhollinshead@durangoherald.com
