HAMMOND — Complaints over sharply higher water and sewer bills dominated discussion at a recent Hammond City Council meeting, with council members warning that some residents are facing charges double or triple what they previously paid.
At the Jan. 13 meeting, District 3 Councilman Devon Wells said he personally received 52 complaints from residents about their water bills. Wells expressed frustration over the sudden cost increases and complaints from residents that meters were not being read properly.
“People are trying to read their own meters,” Wells said, “and doing a better job than the city workers.”
A resident from Wells’ district told the council she has been waiting since Christmas for a re-read of her bill. She added that some of her neighbors’ water and sewer bills are now higher than their electric bills.
Councilman Sam DiVittorio said residents in District 4 are also seeing issues with meter readings and sharp increases in their bills. He questioned why some residents are now receiving bills in the $200–$300 range when they previously paid less than $100.
Mayor Pete Panepinto acknowledged that software used with the city’s new hand-held meter readers caused initial problems with readings. He said, however, that most of the $200–$300 bills have since been adjusted to lower amounts.
Panepinto said he has spoken with supervisors and staff at the Water & Sewer Department about how to handle customer complaints.
“Assume at the beginning [the problem is] on us,” Panepinto said. “Go out and, for those who will allow us, we’ll go in and maybe even check their toilets. You don’t realize that if a tank is constantly running, you’re using water. You may have a leak. Some of these cases have been leaks on the property, and we give them time to fix that.”
The mayor also said some customers have received credits for charges the city later adjusted. “We’re definitely working on that; it has been an issue. We hope to get that to normal soon,” he told the council.
City Administrator Charles Borchers IV told the council the city was required to bring the water and sewer system into compliance with state revenue requirements after a study found Hammond was not generating enough money to properly maintain the system.
Previously, sewer rates were typically double the water rate, but Borchers said they are now based on actual usage.
Borchers said the City Council approved the rate changes last year, along with a grace period through Sept. 1, 2025. However, the city delayed implementation until the October 2025 billing cycle. Water, sewer, and garbage rate increases all took effect at the same time.
“They went up on the October bill,” Borchers said. “We actually delayed it a month because we had disconnects around that same time.”
Wells said many District 3 residents cannot afford the increased bills.
“Mostly everybody in District 3 are elders on fixed incomes,” Wells said. “They need help.”
He added that he would like to use part of his district budget to assist residents who are struggling to pay their bills.
“We are looking at ways to reduce bills for lower-income and fixed-income seniors,” Borchers said. “There are some solutions for users who use a lot of water, who have large yards, pools. We are working on those things. Right now, the rate is something I’m not sure we can adjust. We need to see more data to know whether we’re meeting the state-required benchmarks for revenue to offset our expenses.”
Residents with billing concerns are encouraged to contact the utility billing department by phone, email, or in person.
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