Some time within the last decade, an Atlanta mayor instructed the city’s Department of Watershed Management to stop terminating water service for residents who failed to pay their bills, citing a looming recession.
At least, that’s what the department’s staff told the Auditor’s Office during an investigation into the city’s water billing and collections procedures. The particular mayor who gave the order was not named.
Since the “unofficial and undocumented” request was made, the Watershed Management department “has not consistently enforced water shutoffs for nonpayment since 2010,” the audit found.
The practice has come with a massive price tag: as of June 2023, the city has racked up a total delinquent balance of about $197.8 million from about 54,000 residents across the city who haven’t paid their water bills.
And of the nearly $200 million in outstanding payments, $137 million is from water accounts that are still active.
The eyebrow-raising findings from the auditor’s office were finalized last month and presented to Atlanta City Council members during the City Utilities committee meeting Tuesday.