Submitted by apache1989 t3_zk2yfe in jerseycity
Been out of the country for over a month, came back this weekend and logged into Veolia to pay my bills and realized the amount-due was ridiculously high. Went into billing details and saw this note "Fee/Surcharge/Tax $$$.$$This may include items such as improvement Charges, Franchise Fees, Reconciliation Charges, State Tax Assessment Surcharges, Public Fire Charge, or Tax as applicable by location"
There's no billing statement available for this fees online. I have paid all my bill on time. Can someone please explain how Veolia can retro actively charge me these fees? Is this common, have others faced a similar issue? Seems unfair that I have to pay this amount because they couldn't calculate the fees upfront. What are my options?
SoundMachineJC t1_izxwle3 wrote
(some what related if you didn’t already know….)
Making your water bill easier to swallow? Jersey City customers will start paying monthly in January
Published: Dec. 09, 2022, 12:57 p.m.
By Joshua Rosario | The Jersey Journal
The “long-haul” effects of COVID-19 aren’t just physical.
With the number of Jersey City water customers falling behind on their payments nearly doubling, the city’s Municipality Utilities Authority (MUA) and Veolia are transitioning residents’ water bills from quarterly to monthly billing — a move officials say will help property owners pay down their debt.
The Municipality Utilities Authority (MUA), the agency responsible for managing the city’s water and sewage systems, and Veolia, which distributes the city’s water, each posted a notice on its websites explaining the new billing cycles that will take effect in January.
“It will benefit people who may struggle to pay their quarterly bills by syncing with all the other monthly household bills and in smaller, more manageable amounts,” city spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said.
A light was shone on the issue in October when Jersey City increased the tax levy in its municipal budget at the 11th hour to account for an $18 million shortfall in payments from the MUA — the result of the growing number of water customers in arrears.
Veolia officials say 3,371 accounts were past due as of Nov. 21, which represents roughly 9% of its 38,000-plus clients in Jersey City.
(more)
https://www.nj.com/hudson/2022/12/making-your-water-bill-easier-to-swallow-jersey-city-customers-will-start-paying-monthly-in-january.html