LET THEM EAT WATER

More than 100 residents joined in the Brockton Water Party to protest the billings and procedures of the Brockton water department. The water department has been in many cases going back and billing up to 12 years and citizens are receiving huge water bills. The water department is saying this is because the people have been receiving estimates all those years and have finally gotten an actual read and an actual bill. Many residents have asked for consumption reports and those that have gotten them like Robert Ford has said "according to their own reports they actually owe me money". Mr.Fords bill exceeds $10,000 and when he went to the water department they tried to adjust it to $4,700, but Mr.Ford says "They still couldn't explain to me how they arrived at that figure." Mr. Ford has a pool and his own pool holds 20,000 gallons of water and they are saying its because of his Pool.

Brockton police giving thumbs up for peaceful protest

     Mr.Ford has been billed for using over 1,000,000 gallons of water he would of had to "fill his pool about 57 times in the last 8 years to consume that much water" says Ford. All of the local Boston area TV stations were there as well as the Enterprise and Mike Melanson from WATD and Lisa Crowley of  http://www.brocktonpost.com/
City Councilors Michelle Dubois and Thomas Brophy were there along with several other political leaders from the Brockton Area. The rally began about 3:30 with Ayanna Cato telling a little bit about her story with the $100,000 water bill she received and then informing residents about the group that is forming and signing their names for future contact. Ms.Cato talk about the Brockton Water Rally sheet informing residents what else they can do to help change the current procedures that the Brockton water department is using.
    Overall you got a sense of frustrations from the residents. They were paying their bills and when they received the huge bills called or even went to the water department and got very little help or any real explanation as to why their bills are so high. Every thing has been blamed from leaky water faucets and toilets, to huge tree's growing outside people's house's to even don't run the water when you brush your teeth, even though this gentleman wears denture's.

Crowd starts to gather as rally begins

     The problem has been growing for years and this is the end result, it has blown up. The billing software needs to be updated, water meter batteries are failing and haven't been maintained. The water department uses different kinds of meters, some which need to be read manually. Now all this will be fixed with the new water meters that is costing the city 11 million dollars. So who do we blame. Is the department 50% at fault and the residents 50% or is the department 20% and the residents 80% at fault. According to Mr. Thoreson even though they have a problem the residents still have to pay these bills as he said on one of the TV stations last night.

    Residents are willing to accept that there is a huge mess at the water department and are agreeable to going back one year to collect, but they still can't explained as to how they got their numbers. Again how did they take a $12,000 bill and lower it to $4,700 without any explanations. The next meeting is on September 7th at 7pm in City Hall. Residents are asked to show support in this because they are asking for an audit of the department which is badly needed. Before the audit, action needs to be taken by our leaders to stop all the liens and interest and take back the bills that have been placed on resident's mortgage's.

Marianne and Ayanna setting up for the Rally

    The water commission which is a 5 member board appointed and non-salaried met last night in a closed executive meeting. They report to the Mayor and make recommendation's about the water department. When the minutes are available they will be posted here. I am looking into the exact power that this commission holds and what there recommendation's are. Patrick Quinn who was placed on the commission this April has spoken against the policies and procedures within the water department and has been a strong supporter of change in this department. He was also in attendance at the rally.

55k Bill

     The owners of this Condo association have been having trouble since 2007 with their water bills. After receiving a bill for $55k they were able to get the bill reduce to the correct amount. Thankfully in their case there was a positive resolution.

Condo association get results

Brockton resident who has water billing problems

Water bills don't add up

 City Councilor Michelle Dubois

Media starting to set up at Water rally

Start of the first speakers

 Paul Taylor shows his support for Brockton residents

Robert Ford speaking at the rally

Patrick Quinn from the water commission

Amy Littlefield of the Enterprise and Robert Ford

Residents making a change

Double click

     The agenda for the water rally and the focus of the group forming is outlined in the above form. Just double click to get a full view for what the next step in this process is. I asked Ayanna Cato what comes next and she said that within the next week or so that the group will becoming up with a name and they need suggestions, they will have their own website or blog site where residents can come and get information and with all the signatures given today they will have a means to start having one voice and a way of people staying in touch with each other and moving forward. I asked her if legal action is out of the question and she told me "if that's what it takes, that's what we will do."The group is also thinking of starting some type of legal counsel fund to take further action.

Who says you cant fight City Hall

NO PITCHFORKS PLEASE, JUST DON'T PITCH US ANOTHER PILE OF DUNG!

This is just one of the bills that was sent out last year. Revisiting the water billing issue over the last year I have gone thru the archives and all the articles that I have written since August of 2010. I got involved initially because I was outraged at the treatment the residents were getting by the DPW. Being blamed for leaky toilets and taking long showers and every excuse in the book. August 2010 to January 2011 I went full steam ahead, writing, interviews, photo's, video's and initiated the first Water Party Rally in August 2010. I decided to wait until the audit was concluded. After reading the audit and its results its still my belief that the residents are still being blamed. The audit concluded different meter types, employee's who were not trained properly on the Munis billing system and numerous other faults but not mismanagement, that was outside the scope even though we were told the audit would cover everything from "Soup to Nuts." Throughout this ordeal the residents were told their houses would not be liened but they were. That the audit would fix everything and that everything is going to work out. What has worked out is for the upper management of the DPW.

We have faulty meters and your toilet leaks are what the residents are told but never an apology or any accountability of how this actually happened. Now we are being told to move forward and don't take pitchforks to the management. The bill below is an actual bill and not an estimated bill. It shows that for the first quarter of 2010 a total of 28 cubit feet of water or roughly 200 gallons of water was used for 3 months. This is a household of 2 and the average house uses about 100 gallons of water a day. Heck when you flush your toilet you use about 3 gallons of water. This was a new meter and when I called the water systems manager I was asked if I went to Florida for the winter. I asked what we owe and was told just to pay the bill. This is just one bill of many that I have seen like this and was brought to the attention of DPW back in March 2010.



DOUBLE CLICK TO ENLARGE



Is it a billing error absolutely, did the city loose money, they sure did. I came forward but how many never came forward on bills like these. We need accountability and not what we already knew that the equipment was old and the software was outdated and the system was broke. Who broke it and how long was it broke. In the private sector a company that looses money and treats customers like dirt wouldn't survive. Now we are told to move forward without pitchforks but tell that to the people who have liens on their houses. Tell that to Mr. Ford who in the Audit report concludes that his bill is unusual and is extremely high. If the system is broke and we use the same people to fix it then are we setting us up for another disaster. We need new management and people who care about their jobs in this economy and know they work for the residents of Brockton and not themselves or the Mayor. They need to stop using the City as their own personal bankroll and stop acting like they are the privileged few. Shame on you and how you treated decent Brocktonians who have been the glue that has held this community together.


People its time for a change and that change is coming this fall. Get out and vote and if your not registered please go to city hall and do it. We can't fix Brockton with the same thinking that got us into this mess. My focus is change and we can do this at the polls. Elect officials who will back new policies and hold people accountable and liable for their positions. Look at the candidates who have been there from the start who sat down with residents to save their homes like Jass and Michele did. Hold the standards high for these elected officials and listen to the ones who have been in the ditches with us and not the ones who have told us what we want to hear but actually are working and committing themselves in their actions everyday to make Brockton a better place for us. We have some good people running for our city who prove in their works like Jass Stewart, Michele Dubois, Kate Archard and Tom Monahan who have helped Brockton fight the good fight.

Ethics Complaint Filed Against Brockton City Councilor

Newton, Massachusetts – July 8, 2011 – While Brockton City Council continues an investigation of Brockton water billing this month, a complaint has been filed with the Massachusetts Ethics Commission asking for a Conflicts of Interest investigation of Brockton Councilor Thomas Brophy.

David Kruger filed the complaint today. In the complaint, Mr. Kruger wrote:

“The direct conflict of interest by Councilor Thomas Brophy is that his brother, Martin Brophy, is Brockton’s Treasurer. I understand the charge of Treasurer in Brockton to include processing water billing as well as tax liens and demand notices with respect to water billing. At issue is that Councilor Thomas Brophy has made statements critical of his City Council investigation and if (the Ethics) Commission does not act, he will continue vote to on matters directly or indirectly involving his blood relative, Martin, through his City Council authority..”

Mr Kruger also asked the Ethics Commission to review a newspaper quote by Mr. Brophy where the City Councilor said: “A couple councilors want to lead the charge with pitch forks and torches. That’s not how I operate.” The complaint says “this statement reads as an attempt by Mr. Brophy to quiet other City Councilors from questioning hard in the matter of water billing, liens and demands; matters that involve his brother”

Contact:
David Kruger
dkruger327@comcast.net
947 Chestnut Street
Newton, MA 02464

617-965-8325

WATER BILLING PROBLEMS ALL ACROSS AMERICA

WATER BILL DISPUTE ENTERS NEW PHASE

BrocktonPost
BROCKTON—Interviews of residents with disputed water bills by the city’s independent auditing firm are set to begin next week—a round of interviews that began with city councilors earlier this month.
Interviews with residents are expected to begin Monday, Feb. 28 and will continue Monday, March 7, several officials and residents said.
Councilor interviews began Feb. 8 and members met with The Abrahams Group in shifts over the next couple of weeks.
Each of the city’s ward councilors is expected to pick one resident to meet with the review team. Councilor-at-Large Thomas Brophy, the only councilor at large to choose a resident, has picked Robert Ford, a resident who has been vocal and public about his fight with the water department over his bill that was reduced to $12,000—a figure Ford believes is still erroneous.
Among those who are expected to meet with auditors are Ayanna Yancey Cato—the woman who received a $100,000 bill—and Marianne Silva, who has paid her bill, but disputes the numbers involved.
Not all city councilors have made public their picks-yet.
Ward 1 Councilor Timothy Cruise said he has asked a particular lady, but has not heard back if she will be able to attend.
Ward 3 Councilor Dennis Eaniri said in a telephone message and Council President Paul Studenski said in a telephone interview they have made their picks, but are also uncertain if the residents will accept or will be able to make the scheduled interviews.
Dennis DeNapoli could not be reached for comment, but sources have said he has made his pick, but it is uncertain if the resident has accepted.
Kathy Jewett, who was chosen by Ward 7 Councilor Chris MacMillan, is president of the Fieldside Gardens Condominiums Association,which has had ongoing problems with meter readings and problem bills.
Jewett and others in the condo complex have tracked their water bills for over two years and since the latest snafu have had maintenance personnel monitor and record the meters on a quarterly basis—a step Jewett said should not be necessary, but is considering the problems.
Jewett said during the summer when the water bill issue erupted, the condominium complex was hit with a $55,000 bill that was reduced, but the change left numerous questions about the process and formula used to decrease the bill.
She said condo owners are still getting far-fetched bills and are still working with the water department to fix the problems. Steps have been taken to find leaks and none have been found, she said.
“No one is getting an actual read,” Jewett said. “The actuals are actually based on estimates,” she said.
One of the reasons she, Ford and others want to bring their individual problems to the review team is to ensure the auditors understand what the problems are and that the review includes all of the issues associated with metering and billing problems—not just the ones city officials might have mentioned.
“We want to make sure the system is fixed. We want to make sure bills that say they are actual reads are just that, and not based on estimated water use,” Jewett said.
Residents also want to ensure a process is in place that outlines the formula and criteria water officials used to reduce bills that were seemingly high.
“There’s no paperwork. No one knows how they came up with these numbers,” Jewett said. For full article please see The BrocktonPost.com

BROCKTON RESIDENTS SPEAK OUT PART 4

BROCKTON RESIDENTS SPEAK OUT PART 3