DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Dozens of DeKalb County residents spoke to commissioners Tuesday about water bills they believe are unjust.
Several of the residents who attended the county meeting claim they’ve been billed for thousands of gallons of water they never used.
"My bill over the last three years has just been accumulating. It's now over $16,000,” one resident said. "There's people literally being forced from their homes due to unpaid water bills."
While commissioners listened to their claims, they moved on from the topic quickly without discussing it further. However, DeKalb County Chief Operating Officer Zach Williams told 11Alive’s Brittany Kleinpeter that he is working with residents to help find solutions.
The issue of costly water bills is not a new problem. For years, the county has had issues with their water meters. In 2019, commissioners set forth a three-year plan to replace 102,000 meters.
Still, residents claim that four years later, they are still dealing with inaccurate and inflated water bills. Residents ask that the county cancel all outstanding water debt.
Protesters said they attended the meeting to remind the county commissioners that the problem is still ongoing, impacting hundreds of DeKalb residents.