A Cuyahoga Falls City Council member will meet with angry and worried residents Sunday morning after scores began complaining on social media about their higher-than-normal utility bills.
The one-hour meeting with Councilman Adam Miller begins at 9 a.m. at the utility billing department at City Hall, 2310 Second St. Although Miller represents Ward 6, the meeting is open to any city resident, he said Saturday on Facebook.
Miller wrote that he would like to gather information from affected residents in an effort to “get your issues resolved.”
Scores of angry residents have posted stories about their utility bills from the city jumping suddenly by hundreds and even thousands of dollars.
Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Walters also tried to soothe what he referred to as the “utility billing situation” by explaining on his Facebook page what led to the bills.
The city, Walters wrote, implemented a major upgrade to its decades-old billing system June 13.
“Multiple tests were performed to ensure a smooth transition,” he wrote. “However, we still encountered technical issues with the software vendor that disrupted customers’ regular billing cycles.”
Because of longer billing cycles and “consistent hot and humid temperatures,” some customers received higher bills than they expected.
“I recognize the inconvenience that this has caused some customers, and for this, I sincerely apologize,” Walters wrote.
City workers are trying to fix the problem, he said.
In the meantime, he encouraged residents with questions to contact the utility billing department Monday at 330-971-8250 or by email at UBDept@cityofcf.com.
If residents get no satisfaction there, the mayor advised them to seek out utility billing manager Zack Jones at 330-971-8232 or Deputy Service Director Teresa Hazlett at 330-971-8240.
For residents who can’t afford to pay their bills, the city will work out payment plans, he said.
“The City remains fully committed to providing our residents with low-cost utilities and top-notch customer service,” the mayor wrote.