SAN DIEGO — More than five years have passed since San Diego's City Auditor recommended the Water Department fix the way it billed customers and notify customers when their bills were held or when their accounts were under investigation.
In recent months CBS 8 has investigated multiple reports of massively high water bills, complaints from customers of not receiving bills, and long customer service wait times at the water department.
However, changes are on the way, said one high-ranking water official during a Sept. 20 Audit Committee hearing.
During the meeting, committee members received updates on dozens of recommendations that the city auditor submitted on a number of previous audits.
One of those audits included a 2018 investigation into the water department's poor billing practices. One of the recommendations included in the audit was to notify customers when their meter reading is under review and their bills are held as the city investigates.
Yet, despite the recommendation, the water department failed to take the advice. And, as CBS 8 learned, tens of thousands of bills are withheld each bi-monthly billing cycle. Over the course of the past five years, since the audit was released, the auditor estimates that hundreds of thousands were not sent to customers.
Since that time, City Auditor Andy Hanau has urged the water department to address the lack of notifications on at least seven occasions during audit committee meetings.
The Sept. 20 meeting may be the last time that has to happen as water officials say they hope to have a system in place within a week to ensure customers are notified when their bills are on hold and when their account shows a zero balance.
"We've seen a number of high-profile news reports showing customers who received bills as high $16,000. Do you anticipate being able to fulfill this recommendation by November as indicated in the report," asked Audit Committee member and Councilperson Vivian Moreno during today's Audit Committee meeting.
"Yes, we actually anticipate having that by the end of this month if not by the end of this week," answered the representative for the Public Utilities Department.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of bills are still currently held and it is unclear if the proposed fix will address the current backlog of those who have not received bills in recent months or years.
CBS 8 will continue to follow the story and update you on any new developments.
