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2/25/2021
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Sen. Raptakis and Kent County Senators write to Auditor General requesting review of Kent County Water Authority
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 STATE HOUSE – Sen. Leonidas P. Raptakis (D-Dist. 33, Coventry, East Greenwich, West Greenwich) and several legislators representing Kent County have written to the Auditor General, Dennis E. Hoyle, requesting a thorough review of the Kent County Water Authority (KCWA).
The letter cites troubling billing increases that have led hundreds of ratepayers to file formal disputes with the KCWA after experiencing abnormal and dramatic increases in their water bills that seem wholly unjustified based upon their usage histories. In many cases, the increases in billing followed the replacement of ratepayers’ water meters.
“It is sad and frustrating that it has come to this but the ratepayers of the KCWA have had enough of this woefully inadequate service and they deserve far better than what they are currently getting. The KCWA has refused to listen to any of our recommendations and their behavior and service displays a level of disregard for their ratepayers that is truly unacceptable. It is our hope that the Auditor General can get to the bottom of what is causing the multitude of problems that have come out of the KCWA over recent memory and through his review, the ratepayers of the KCWA will finally get the proper service that they pay so much money for,” said Senator Raptakis.
Senator Raptakis and the legislators laid out several recommendations they have given to the KCWA in order to rectify the billing problem. These recommendations are:
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Provide on the spot documentation of old meter readings to consumers when they are replaced, so that ratepayers have a photograph and receipt of the prior meter’s reading before the technician leaves their home.
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Prohibit the comingling of bills for old and new meters. Instead, generate final bills for the old meters when they are replaced, and provide spate bills for new meters from the replacement date through the end of the quarterly cycle.
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Provide independent, third party testing of water meters in dispute.
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Suspend any bill in dispute that is 30 percent or more higher than the same quarter in the previous year and place those bills in escrow until all parties are satisfied that the issue has been fairly resolved.
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Prohibit water shutoffs on accounts with disputed bills.
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Prohibit any interest being charged currently or in the future on all disputed bills, regardless of the ultimate resolution.
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More clearly label bills based on usage period so that consumers understand the period being billed. It was clear from a previous meeting that this is not currently the case, and bills listed as charging for the period from August 1 through October 31 in fact charged for usage in June, July and August.
The legislators believe that these recommendations will provide added layers of consumer protection to ratepayers as well as additional clarity about water usage within each home.
The letter was signed by Senator Raptakis, Majority Leader Michael J. McCaffrey (D-Dist. 29, Warwick), Sen. Kendra Anderson (D-Dist. 31, Warwick, Cranston), Sen. Elaine Morgan J. Morgan (R-Dist. 34, Hopkinton, Charlestown, Exeter, Richmond, West Greenwich), Sen. John Burke (D-Dist. 9, West Warwick), Sen. Gordon E. Rogers (R-Dist. 21, Foster, Coventry, Scituate, West Greenwich), Sen. Hanna M. Gallo (D-Dist. 27, Cranston, West Warwick), and Sen. Bridget G. Valverde (D-Dist. 35, North Kingstown, East Greenwich, Narragansett, South Kingstown).
For more information, contact:
Andrew Caruolo, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-6124
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