Resident believes city is overcharging its customers for wastewater use

A Lebanon resident says the city is overcharging city residents for wastewater services. Glen Costales spoke during the public comments portion of Monday’s Lebanon City Council meeting. Costales, a former Jefferson City city councilman, said the current billing method for the wastewater fund is depriving residents of over $1 million annually. “All the data I use was taken from the city’s website, from budgets or revenue and expenditure reports,” he said. The Council passed an ordinance in 2019 establishing the use of irrigation meters. Costales said previously, wastewater bills were based on usage during the winter. Now, he said, wastewater bills are based on usage of all water. He said 100 irrigation meters are available for use with a refundable deposit. According to Costales, the 2019 budget indicated about 6,187 housing units and a population of 14,709. The 2024 budget shows 6,682 housing units and a population of 15,504. He said the amount of the increased billing totaled about $1 million annually. “Approximately one million dollars yearly revenue increase for services not rendered as everyone, except for about 100 households, are paying for undelivered services.” He said. He cited figures showing revenue from fiscal year 2019 water and sewer billing that he said indicated everyone, except for about 100 households, paid $1 million for services not rendered. “That is, we, your constituents, are paying for wastewater services every time we use our outdoor spigots,” he said. Costales asked the City Council to change its wastewater billing policy. “I highly recommend, no, I implore you to change this method of billing,” he said. “For example, use January, February and March water consumption to determine one’s bill for the years as outside water usage will be low or non-existent. Either average those three months or use the highest one. Then use that bill beginning in May for the next year. This method will avoid charging a ‘hidden tax’ and treat all your constituents tax same,” he said. The Record reached out to Lebanon Public Works Director Richard Shockley for his response to Costales’s comments. Shockley noted that the city, in 2024, had 98 temporary irrigation meters signed out. “We credited $9,093.90 at the end of the season for water used for irrigation purposes that was not discharged into the sewer system,” he said in an email to the Record. For more on this story, see Saturday's LCR.