MONROE - The case of a Monroe resident's 255,000-gallon water bill is still being investigated - with test results of the meter's accuracy expected Thursday.
The City of Monroe Water Utility was allowed access to the home and meter on Oct. 29, according to Mike Kennison, the city's water utility supervisor, speaking at Monday's Board of Public Works meeting.
The meter was sent to the Janesville water department for independent testing, said Kennison. The City of Monroe utility also is conducting tests on the meter.
The Wisconsin Public Service Commission required the utility to remove the meter and have it tested for accuracy, after a Monroe resident's first quarterly bill for the year was over $1,450 - for 255,000 gallons of water.
The property's owner, Don Amacher, and the tenant, Kelly Waeffler, were scheduled to appear at the meeting Monday, but did not attend.
On June 1, the City of Monroe Board of Public Works credited $860 to the sewer portion of Waeffler's bill. The city has a policy and formula in place for crediting sewer costs, but not water charges, which are regulated by the PSC.
City records entered at a board meeting in June showed past bills at the residence had been under $200 for several quarters prior to the large bill. The monthly average rate was about 1,500 cubic feet, or about 11,200 gallons. Kelly Waeffler, the tenant, is a single parent with two children.
At that meeting, Kelly Finkenbinder, director of Public Works, said city employees noticed the exorbitant water usage when meters were being read and billed in March. City utility employees, along with Amacher, could find no leaks in the indoor or outdoor plumbing to cause such an extreme water reading, officials said.
Workers found a slight difference in tallies between the interior meter and the outside usage reader, which were reset, but that does not account for the difference, Finkenbinder said.
Amacher told the board in June that city utility operators were at the house three times before the city contacted him regarding the existence of a problem and to check the interior of the home.
The City of Monroe Water Utility was allowed access to the home and meter on Oct. 29, according to Mike Kennison, the city's water utility supervisor, speaking at Monday's Board of Public Works meeting.
The meter was sent to the Janesville water department for independent testing, said Kennison. The City of Monroe utility also is conducting tests on the meter.
The Wisconsin Public Service Commission required the utility to remove the meter and have it tested for accuracy, after a Monroe resident's first quarterly bill for the year was over $1,450 - for 255,000 gallons of water.
The property's owner, Don Amacher, and the tenant, Kelly Waeffler, were scheduled to appear at the meeting Monday, but did not attend.
On June 1, the City of Monroe Board of Public Works credited $860 to the sewer portion of Waeffler's bill. The city has a policy and formula in place for crediting sewer costs, but not water charges, which are regulated by the PSC.
City records entered at a board meeting in June showed past bills at the residence had been under $200 for several quarters prior to the large bill. The monthly average rate was about 1,500 cubic feet, or about 11,200 gallons. Kelly Waeffler, the tenant, is a single parent with two children.
At that meeting, Kelly Finkenbinder, director of Public Works, said city employees noticed the exorbitant water usage when meters were being read and billed in March. City utility employees, along with Amacher, could find no leaks in the indoor or outdoor plumbing to cause such an extreme water reading, officials said.
Workers found a slight difference in tallies between the interior meter and the outside usage reader, which were reset, but that does not account for the difference, Finkenbinder said.
Amacher told the board in June that city utility operators were at the house three times before the city contacted him regarding the existence of a problem and to check the interior of the home.