JOHNSTON, R.I. (WPRI) – A Rhode Island family received a water bill for more than $3,000 from a town this week, and now they’re trying to figure out how it all adds up.
After more than a decade of having their water bill estimated, the Kolodziejczak family said the town now wants them to pay up.
The bill was for nearly 30 times what the family normally pays every quarter, and the town told them it was not a misprint.
“If we owe the money on the bill, I have no issues paying for it,” said Dariusz Kolodziejczak. “But I just want to know where they get that number from and why it’s taken 12 years to finally send us a bill.”
The notice says the town has been estimating the bill because it was previously unable to access the meter on the family’s property. The town said it’s now able to get an accurate reading, and the difference from 2004 to the present is $3,187.
“We’ve never gotten noticed that they need to come in and read the meter,” said Kolodziejczak. “I just assumed that their estimate was pretty close.”
The Kolodziejczaks said the town has offered to put them on a payment plan.
Eyewitness News reached out to Mayor Joseph Polisena, who said some residents have refused to let the town read their meters. We’ll sit down with the mayor on Thursday to find out how the town is working to fix the water bill disputes.