ONLY ON ABC-7: Are you being overcharged on your utility bill?
While checking lists twice this holiday season, you may want to look over your city utility bill.
Many apartment complexes across El Paso handle utilities by using the allocated method. For those that don’t, residents receive bills from El Paso Water Utilities and the city’s Environmental Services Department.
“If you’re paying your own bills at your apartment complex, absolutely check your bill. Your environmental fee should be residential, which is $5,” ESD Director Ellen Smyth said.
A member of the ABC-7 I-team noticed a higher than usual utility bill, and the commercial environmental fee of $15 a month. That is $10 more a month than what a single-family residence should be charged, according to Smyth. She said the billing code is supposed to switch from commercial to residential after complex construction is completed, when utilities are transferred over to occupants instead of apartment management companies.
“The very first resident is the one who either gets the filter right or gets the filter wrong,” Smyth said. “We have people at the water utility who help us do this coding. It’s a code in the computer, and sometimes we get it wrong.”
Environmental fees, whether commercial or residential, cover graffiti wipeout, street sweeping, median maintenance, alley cleaning, air quality monitoring, environmental health and vector control.
For those who do notice the wrong fee on their bill, ESD recommends calling 311 to be transferred to the department so a refund can be issued. It’s recommended that customers do it quickly, because refunds can be issued only as far back as four years.
Because of the ABC-7 investigative report, the city of El Paso ESD is auditing all complexes to see who else is possibly being overcharged. Smyth said the fee is only six years old and an audit should be conducted about every five years.
