[Durham INC] Help with another water billing problem

Tue Feb 22 17:33:54 EST 2011

I would add, especially for landlords who happen to own vacant 
properties, vandalism and theft to that list.

For instance, when my backyard was flooding, it turned out the owner of 
the vacant house behind mine had water flowing from a failed attempt to 
steal a water heater for between 3 and 5 weeks last fall. The water only 
got shut off when i noticed that a large chunk of aluminum siding had 
also been removed from the back of the house and put 2 and 2 together, 
called the cops and emergency services.

Unfortunately, and despite my best efforts, the water heater had not 
been repaired before the newest tenants moved in last week. Imagine 
their surprise when they had the water turned back on and the basement 
flooded again. How these guys were allowed to put this house back on the 
rental market without making any repairs is beyond my comprehension. I'd 
also be extremely interested in learning whether or not the bill ever 
got paid. I calculated water draining out of my back yard at about 3-4 
gallons/minute. That puts the range of total water used at between 
90,000 and 200,000 gallons, or roughly between 120 and 280 units, 
assuming all of the water from the house ended up in my yard. Change 
that assumption, and the total water wastage could have been 
significantly higher.

Barry Ragin

On 2/22/11 5:06 PM, Pat Carstensen wrote:
> What would be useful from the perspective of the list-serve (because 
> it would help build up the dispersed know-how in the community about 
> how to help the next neighbor with a problem) is putting out a summary:
>
> Possible causes of high water bill:
> 1) A leak
> 2) Misreading of water bill
> 3) Getting unpaid bills of previous residents
> 4) Evil computers taking over Durham (-:
>
> Chain of actions to take:
> 1)
> 2)
> 3)
>
> Regards, pat
>
> > To: mike at mikewoodard.com; mmr121570 at yahoo.com; 
> inc-list-bounces at rtpnet.org; inc-list at durhaminc.org; 
> Darius.M.Little at alumni.unc.edu; bulldurhamnc at yahoo.com
> > From: Darius.M.Little at alumni.unc.edu
> > Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2011 21:07:38 +0000
> > Subject: Re: [Durham INC] Help with another water billing problem
> >
> > Mike Woodard has handled every matter that I've ever contacted him 
> about, rather swiftly.
> >
> > In each situation, the culprit was merely a break in communication. 
> Councilman Woodard has proven himself to be a steady resource and I 
> concur with his statement that posting info here garnered the same 
> response, had the individual went directly to him.
> >
> > Any assertion that the list serv is what sparked his response is not 
> only inaccurate, but insulting.
> >
> > As individuals who care about Durham, it is imperative that in all 
> dealings with the City and the Media, that we err on the side of 
> caution, as it relates to media. Durham receives a bad rap in many 
> areas of social media, so running to a trouble shooter, or 5 on your 
> side types of news outlet does nothing but taint the image of our City 
> and its professionals.
> >
> > To take joy in that is not only unpatriotic, but harmful and serves 
> to truly benefit no one.
> >
> > Councilman Woodard's response was one of mediation; which is what we 
> should seek, before public embarrassment.
> >
> > Thanks for your service and willingness to serve, Councilman Woodard.
> >
> > - Darius
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -----------------------------
> > Darius M. Little
> > Business Consultant and Strategic Marketing Analyst
> > Cell: 919-641-4124
> > Web: www.linkedin.com/in/dariuslittle
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: "Mike Woodard" <mike at mikewoodard.com>
> > Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:32:52
> > To: <mmr121570 at yahoo.com>; <inc-list-bounces at rtpnet.org>; 
> <inc-list at durhaminc.org>; <Darius.M.Little at alumni.unc.edu>; 
> <bulldurhamnc at yahoo.com>
> > Subject: Re: [Durham INC] Help with another water billing problem
> >
> > I can assure all of you that posting this issue on the INC listserv 
> got the same action/reaction it would have gotten if the resident had 
> contacted me directly.
> >
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > Mike Woodard
> > Email: mike at mikewoodard.com
> > Web site: www.mikewoodard.com
> > Mobile: 919.599.5143
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: "John Martin" [bulldurhamnc at yahoo.com]
> > Date: 02/22/2011 11:22 AM
> > To: mike at mikewoodard.com, "Melissa's yahoo" <mmr121570 at yahoo.com>, 
> inc-list-bounces at rtpnet.org, "inc listserv" <inc-list at durhaminc.org>, 
> Darius.M.Little at alumni.unc.edu
> > Subject: Re: [Durham INC] Help with another water billing problem
> >
> > Mike Woodard is probably the most proactive member of the City 
> Council, and I am glad that he is able to help this unfortunate couple.
> >
> > But I don't apologize for suggesting that they bring in the heavy 
> artillery, i.e. the media. "Undue criticism on City Staff." Oh, 
> please. If Melissa's story is correct, the people involved have tried 
> very hard to get the problem addressed and they have gotten nowhere. 
> The City has a policy of promoting water conservation (toilet rebates 
> and all the rest). Therefore, one would expect that ANY residential 
> water bill of $1700 would attract immediate attention by the water 
> department. Even if the fault lies with the customer (leaky pipes, 
> taps, and water heaters) it needs to be addressed. And if the problem 
> lies with the City meter, it should be addressed with a correction and 
> profuse apologies. I can't imagine what these people are going through 
> with their water cut off.
> >
> > But one thing is amusing: put this on the INC listserv with 
> suggestions that the couple contact Tom Bonfield or WRAL, and, boom!, 
> suddenly there are responses from Vicki Westbrook, Amy Blalock, and 
> Mike Woodard.
> >
> > Mike was just saying yesterday on Bull City Rising how powerful 
> Durham's listservs are. How right you are, Mike, how right you are!
> >
> > --- On Tue, 2/22/11, Darius Mercedes Little 
> <Darius.M.Little at alumni.unc.edu> wrote:
> >
> > > From: Darius Mercedes Little <Darius.M.Little at alumni.unc.edu>
> > > Subject: Re: [Durham INC] Help with another water billing problem
> > > To: mike at mikewoodard.com, "Melissa's yahoo" <mmr121570 at yahoo.com>, 
> inc-list-bounces at rtpnet.org, "inc listserv" <inc-list at durhaminc.org>
> > > Date: Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 10:40 AM
> > > Exactly!
> > >
> > > No need for the media, that brings nothing positive and
> > > would promote undue criticism on City Staff.
> > >
> > > As I suggested to her, if they trouble shoot the problem
> > > directly with the staff, they'll likely find that the matter
> > > is something very simple, such as a previous bill from the
> > > address, being added to theirs. The ladies in the office
> > > handled my matter, which was complex, with relative ease.
> > >
> > > Excellent leadership Mike Woodard!
> > >
> > > - Darius
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ------Original Message------
> > > From: Mike Woodard
> > > Sender: inc-list-bounces at rtpnet.org
> > > To: Melissa's yahoo
> > > To: inc-list-bounces at rtpnet.org
> > > To: inc listserv
> > > ReplyTo: mike at mikewoodard.com
> > > Subject: Re: [Durham INC] Help with another water billing
> > > problem
> > > Sent: Feb 22, 2011 10:23 AM
> > >
> > > Have the homeowner contact me directly offline and I will
> > > work with the Water Department for a resolution.
> > >
> > > No need for "5 On Your Side" or "The Troubleshooter." I'm
> > > on your side, and I will troubleshoot this.
> > >
> > > Mike Woodard
> > > City Council
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Melissa's yahoo <mmr121570 at yahoo.com>
> > > Sender: inc-list-bounces at rtpnet.org
> > > Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2011 22:55:31
> > > To: inc listserv<inc-list at durhaminc.org>
> > > Subject: [Durham INC] Help with another water billing
> > > problem
> > >
> > >_______________________________________________
> > > Durham INC Mailing List
> > > list at durham-inc.org
> > > http://www.durham-inc.org/list.html
> > >
> > >
> > >_______________________________________________
> > > Durham INC Mailing List
> > > list at durham-inc.org
> > > http://www.durham-inc.org/list.html
> > >
> > >
> > > -----------------------------
> > > Darius M. Little
> > > Business Consultant and Strategic Marketing Analyst
> > > Cell: 919-641-4124
> > > Web: www.linkedin.com/in/dariuslittle
> > >_______________________________________________
> > > Durham INC Mailing List
> > > list at durham-inc.org
> > > http://www.durham-inc.org/list.html
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Durham INC Mailing List
> > list at durham-inc.org
> > http://www.durham-inc.org/list.html
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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