Over the past week, many residents of the Town of Discovery Bay took to social media expressing their displeasure and surprise when they received their water meter bill.
The construction began back in February of 2017 and according to the Town of Discovery Bay website, as of December 31, 2017, a total of 3,496 meters have been installed.
A letter (dated April 13) was sent to home owners informing them of their Water Installation Bill stating the project was complete and the cost to each water meter was calculated based on specifications of the installation of the meter(s) at each specific property.
Residents were given two options:
- Option 1: Pay the cost of the meter installation in full and received by the Town on or before May 15, 2018, or:
- Option 2: Finance the cost of the meter installation, with interest, over a ten-year period billed on your monthly water utility bill. Please note that the exact amount of interest cannot be determined at this time, because bond interest is shared among the number of financing (Option 2) participants.
Prepayment after May 15, 2018 will not avoid or offset the full amount of interest due
Some residents, are curious why each home is getting a different cost for each meter.
According to Town Manager Mike Davies, residents are getting different costs because each property is different and some installations are more difficult than others.
“There are different construction types, meter sizes and box sizes. Some properties had extra work done in the form of obstructions that were charged to the homeowner,” said Davies.
When asked why not distribute the cost across all homes and share the cost equity, Davies explained that was the plan, however, the public didn’t want that.
“A total of 3496 Meters were installed. In January of 2017 the public stated they did not want to share the overall cost and pay the same amount (estimated at $906),” said Davies. “The public demanded that each house be separately charged for the work performed on that property.”
Davies stated outreach has been ongoing since January of 2017.
FAQ: Water Meter Installation Cost and Billing Frequently Asked Questions
1 comment
If I am paying for the meter do I own it? PG&E does not charge the customer the cost of the meter (gas or electric). It is their cost and their property.
By paying for the meter and it’s install I now own the meter and wish to bill Discovery Bay for using it to meter my water. A fair price to use my new meter is $10/ month.
My company installs wet utilities for public agencies, one of your inspectors has worked for me in the past and I have done work on the Sanitary Sewer facility operated by the Town. I am very familiar with the cost of the meter, the box it sits in, and the cost to connect it. The $777 you have billed me is fair for those, now I own it. Lets talk about the back rental for Discovery Bay using my new meter.
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