LA FERIA — Frank Rios suggested during the last La Feria city meeting that the city start locking water meters, because residents are tampering with them after their water supply is disconnected.
“We are losing money,” said Esmeralda Lozano, a La Feria city commissioner.
Currently, the city carries a $10 reconnect fee for residents who have their water utility shut off but does not have a fine in place for water meter tampering. A price hike may be coming for a reconnection fee and for tampering with the water meter.
“We don’t use the locking system here,” said Rios, La Feria city finance director. “When we disconnect somebody from their meter for non-payment, we are just turning the valve.”
Rios reported at the last City Commission meeting that customers are turning their water supply back on after they are disconnected by simply turning the water valve.
Rios said many of the residents come in and pay their water bill by the end of the work day on the disconnect date. He said on average, the city disconnects a total of 125 water customers per month.
Rios did not confirm if the average of disconnects was high or how much the city has lost in revenue when residents tamper with their water meter.
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