Two recent (Pilot) items addressed the water bill issue. First was the plight of the Phelps family (Dec. 23), and then “Pathetic Response To a Serious Issue” (Dec. 30). Obviously this problem is much bigger than the Department of Public Works recognizes or has admitted.

By his own admission, Director Gould said they estimated fielding some 300 calls already. How many, really?

Then there was the statement about the bills not being “incorrect”; they were just “not complete.” I can really take exception to that with a bill I received on Nov. 1 that covered a period of 111 years.

Why on earth did the department suddenly convert to a system that they surely didn’t understand and weren’t ready for? As the old saying goes, “Garbage in, garbage out.” When we don’t know where we were or where we are, it’s hard to know where we’re going.

It appears that the bottom line remains that all of this mess began with the new water meter installations and the Nov. 1 water bills that followed. If the old water meters have not been destroyed, wouldn’t it be simpler to read the last reading for a cut-off billing? Then, recognizing the failure of the new computer system, just go back into customer history, bill the customer on “average usage” and continue to do so until the not-so “fail-safe system” is fixed?

Quit fumbling and stumbling with weak excuses like federal bureaucrats, and if all else fails, call in independent auditors and finally get serious.

Bob Nichols

Pinehurst