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According to the report, the local authority’s director of financial services Mr Kimpton Ndimande recommended that residents should not pay the bills.
“The financial director has recommended that penalties of $2,7 million which were raised as a result of failure to read meters for a long time be reversed. The equitable way is to reverse penalties on accounts that had estimates for more than three months then followed by actual readings,” read the report.
The report also shows that an acute shortage of meter readers was affecting billing, forcing council to resort to estimates.
“Prior to dollarisation in 2009 there were 20 meter readers instead of the total complement of 42 which was set in 2006 before developmental expansion in Mahatshula, Cowdray Park, Pumula South, Selborne Park, Parklands and Emganwini. The whole city had 742 books to be read monthly. The 20 meter readers could only read at most 336 books.”
It is stated in the report that council’s meter reading section did not have adequate vehicles to take readings for sparsely populated areas such as Trenance, Woodville, Lochview and Waterford.
“It takes up to three days for a meter reader to complete a book, which is read in half a day when vehicles are available,” read the report.
The report reveals that a consolidated bill had been printed on April 2012 bills combining it with the March bill, giving rise to long queues at enquiries desks at the Revenue Hall.
“Estimates arose due to failure by council to read meters due to reasons outlined above. In some cases they arise due to meter readers failing to obtain readings due to reasons such as finding gates locked, vicious dogs, consumers not at home, inaccessible meters, stopped meters and spacers installed due to stolen meters,” the report read.
Residents were encouraged to personally take meter readings and submit them at their nearest revenue offices to ease the burden on meter readers and avoid estimated bills.
The report says that the financial services department was looking at changing the billing software to minimise the impact of charging penalties when the previous readings had been based on estimates.
In the ensuing debate, Councillor James Sithole of Ward 7 commended the financial services department for submitting the report to the committee.
“It was long overdue. In future, such reports should be submitted timeously to enable councillors to satisfactorily articulate council’s problems to residents,” said Clr Sithole.
Councillors then agreed that Mr Ndimande’s recommendation to reverse the overbilling should be implemented.
Online Reporter