BILLINGS — Despite an audit finding this week that the city provided accurate water bills, some Billings rate payers are still refusing to pay because they believe the charges are incorrect.
In total, City Administrator Chris Kukulski confirmed that there are 15,000 bills overdue by more than 31 days, which accounts for nearly 38 percent of all bills in Billings.
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Scott Welter is among the 5,000 customers with an overdue bill of 90 days or more. He said Wednesday he's refusing to pay until he hears some answers.
"Every bill has no consistency," Welter said. "It was just about three times higher than I normally pay. I think it was overcharging. That's all I can say."
Welter said he's lived in the same duplex on the West End for the last eight years. According to the city, his water bill in the summer of 2023 for a two-month period was $300. In 2024, in the middle of the changeover of the water-bill system, couple with rate increases, his bill was about $400 for the same period, according to the city.
His water bill has consistently been around $60 per month in the summer, but this summer he said it jumped to $400.
Upon receiving his abnormally large bill at the end of the summer, Welter called Public Works for clarification.
"They said, 'You and your roommates are taking long showers,'" Welter said. "I said, 'Look, I don't have hair. I'm in and out in four minutes and I don't have a roommate, so there goes that excuse.'"
The city said that Welter has used 24,000 more gallons of water in 2024 than in 2023. Welter believes that isn't possible, which is why he decided to take action through inaction.
"I do not plan to pay it until there's some sort of resolution," Welter said.
His bill now sits at a little under $900 after months of not paying. Kukulski said he's one of many.
"There's a number of customers and/or businesses who said I'm not going to pay this until this gets figured out," Kukulski said. "There will be a point that their utility will need to be turned off."
Since the bill confusion began early last summer, there have been no penalties for those not paying their water bill. Kukulski warned that will soon change.
"We're going to give people several months notice on that," Kukulski said. "We don't want to get to another summer cycle where that water usage is really high and people are digging themselves into a deeper hole."
Typically, residents have 60 days to make payments before their water gets shut off, which is why Kukulski is urging residents to set up a payment plan now that the audit is complete.
"The concern, the loss of trust, all started with us failing to do the software conversion the right way," Kukulski said. "It's only right that we be patient and work with our citizens to earn back that trust."
Welter isn't buying it and he believes he isn't alone.
"They got exactly what they wanted to see," Welter said. "They paid for (the audit). They paid exactly what they wanted to see, so I don't really trust the audit. How many people have to stand up and scream before you realize something might be wrong?"
