Act now for adjustments to jumbo water bills from hurricane

Historic City News continues to receive complaints from readers who received higher than normal water bills from the City of St Augustine because of water lines or fixtures broken or damaged during Hurricane Matthew.

At its meeting on Monday, January 23, the St. Augustine City Commission acted to offer relief for those city utility customers facing that hardship.

Starting immediately and continuing until March 31, the city will allow those who experienced water-wasting damage because of the storm to seek relief from the resulting higher than normal water bills.

Those seeking relief should submit a letter stating the account number and address requesting the adjustment along with copies of bills or repair receipts specific to actions taken to repair storm damaged plumbing that caused the above normal water usage.

The Finance Department will determine the average water usage for that account over the previous 12-months, October 2015-October 2016, and establish a credit based on the difference. That credit will be placed on the customer’s account and will be applied to future water bills until depleted.

Copies of the repair bills and information verifying the specific account address may be brought personally or mailed to the Financial Services Center, 50 Bridge St., Monday-Friday, 7:30am-5:00pm, or emailed to utilitybilling@citystaug.com. Affected customers should be aware that only the Customer Service Coordinator may establish the credit for the account and so patience is urged.

Requests for adjustments must be received by Financial Services no later than Friday, March 31, 2017.

Questions regarding the issuance of credits may be made by email to utilitybilling@citystaug.com, or by calling 904.825.1037 during regular business hours.