Since the introduction of a new payment system, a lot of online discussion has gone on about the amounts residents have been charged in the first billing cycle.

Hundreds of comments have been posted on the Facebook Fort Smith Residents Forum discussing the new billing changes. Many residents are concerned about the reason their most recent water bills are significantly higher than previous bills but others saw little to no change.

During the transition to the new billing system, the Utilities Department was replacing older water meters to new, digital meters. The older the meter, the more likely it was not accurately reading the amount of water used, Department Director Jerry Walters told the Board of Directors at the 2019 budget hearing in November.

Walters said the meters were under reading by approximately 15 percent. Last week, Joshua Robertson, spokesperson for the Utilities Department shared the same information. Robertson noted that not everyone with new meters has seen an increase, which is reflected by online comments.

While there are many residents who have new meters and higher water bills last month, there are several with digital meters whose charges remained what they were previously paying. Since the new payment system was introduced, there are also those with old meters that have not been replaced that experienced both an increase and average billing cost.

“There’s not really a defining factor, it can be pretty random,” Robertson said. “Some will see a change in their usage and some won’t be changed at all.”

According to a press release, the new meters have been designed, calibrated and tested to read the specific amount of water being used. They are also designed to communicate hourly with various “nodes” located around the city. This information tells the department the usage amount of residents.

The data, according to a 2017 water usage and safety report, is designed to help with “billing accuracy, decreased operational expense and enhanced customer service.” It is also supposed to help staff determine if a customer may be experiencing a plumbing issue that could cause a higher bill.

An average Fort Smith household uses approximately 3,740 gallons, or 500 cubic feet, of water each month. The bill, according to a 2018 utilities fees document, is based on a base charge, volume used, sales tax and the Arkansas Safe Drinking Water fee.

The base charge is determined by the size of water meter installed, most residential sizes are $4.97 per month.

Depending on the amount of water volume used, the price changes. One hundred cubic feet to 500 cubic feet is $2.28 per 100. Six hundred cubic feet to 1,500 cubic feet is $2.96 each and 1,600 cubic feet and more is $3.35.

This means, if a family uses 600 cubic feet of water per month, they would be charged $2.28 for each of the first 500 and $2.96 for the final 100. A typical water bill, excluding sewage and sanitation ranges from $15.75 to roughly $28, according to the most recent informational document.

Fort Smith Communications Manager Karen Santos wrote in an email to the Times Record that the new meters have an accuracy of almost 100 percent and approximately 55 percent of all water customers have the smart meters.

Santos said leaky plumbing could be a cause of some residents’ higher water bills. According to a document sent to the Times Record, a leaky toilet could add 800 cubic feet of water, roughly 6,000 gallons per month, to a resident’s charges.

The average Fort Smith water, sewer and sanitation bill is about $80. According to the document, adding the leaking water and sewer treatment increases a bill by around $90.

“More than three-quarters of water bill complaints lead to identification of a problem on the customer’s side of the meter,” the document reads.

If residents are concerned about their bills, they may contact the city’s utility billing center and set up an inspection. The city says most times, the testing shows accurate meter reading and a homeowner needs to contact a plumber to evaluate for leaky pipes, toilets, line break, dishwashers, washing machines and other appliances.

Some residents have reported not getting a bill in December, so the January statement may include the charge for multiple months or have a prorated amount, depending on when the bills were disbursed.

“We do apologize. An implementation of a new software of this magnitude, there will be a transition,” Robertson said.

If residents have questions about their recent charges, the city encourages them to call the new billing center or email mynewbill@fortsmithar.gov. Robertson said the department is working diligently to make sure residents are being served effectively.