BALTIMORE — Baltimore City Department of Public Works will team up with the City's Environmental Control Board to provide an independent review of billing disputes.
New regulations on the dispute process have been announced and will take effect on Aug. 1, 2019. The regulations apply to water, wastewater, and/or storm water charges incurred on or after July 1.
The new program will allow customers to make their case to DPW staff and supervision on an escalating scale.
Before the program, customers could call DPW at 410-396-5398 to request an investigation into their water use in correlation to their bill. And if DPW suspected that there was an unusual amount of water being used at a property that cannot be accounted for, they would conduct a turn-off test to detect for leaks, or evaluate the meter for accuracy.
Now with the new program, dissatisfied customers can request the assistance of the Independent Review. With this process, customers can make an appeal to the next level, and finally to the Environmental Control Board. And in the case the Environmental Control Board’s decision is appealed to the Director of Public Works, the dispute will then go to the Circuit Court.
For more information on the new program and regulations, click here.
