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Some say they were away from home during those unexpectedly high billings and insisted they’ve had no major leaks or wastage in their water use.

While the city audit report expresses confidence that billing is taking place and at a proper annual rate, there’s “limited assurance over the completeness and accuracy of individual customer billing and accounts.”

Without proper reporting, says the report, it’s not clear whether the city or its arm’s-length utility Enmax are to blame for the billing lags, but it’s clear they “can create delay in receipt of revenue, unexpected financial burden on customers, and reputational risk to the city.”

Ward 4 Coun. Sean Chu said he’s not surprised by the report, adding he’s had concerns over what he calls “smart meters” that have been relatively recently installed in many homes.

Photo by Darren Makowichuk / DARREN MAKOWICHUK/Postmedia

“Everything mechanical or digital can have problems, even the space shuttle,” said Chu.

“There’s always error, nothing’s guaranteed and you have to recognize it — we have to be honest with ourselves.”

Late last month, Mayor Naheed Nenshi saidthose stuck with outrageous water bills will be reimbursed and charged an average monthly billing instead.

He also said the city will investigate the cause of the over-charging and the accuracy of water meters.

A notice of motion being brought by Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart in the upcoming council meeting Monday is pushing for those measures and others, including determining if all water entering some Calgarians’ homes is being improperly billed as wastewater — effectively a double-charge.