COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A Columbus church claims it’s being charged hundreds of dollars for water it never used. After hitting a dead end with the city of Columbus, the pastor reached out to Better Call 4.
7th Ave Community Missionary Baptist Church pays around $200 for its water bill each cycle. Late last year, the church was hit with a bill for $731; church leaders stated that water usage had not increased.
AEP reports record quarterly profits as electric bills surge for OhioansThe plumbers found no leaks, but the city will not issue a refund.
“We want them to do the ethical thing and give us a credit on our water bill or refund us. That's all we're asking for, but we haven't been treated fairly,” 7th Ave Community Missionary Baptist Church Senior Pastor Roscoe Robey said. “We have had zero water issues every time we've had plumbers to come out. And that's money out of our pocket to check the facility.”
7th Ave Community Missionary Baptist Church sits between two apartment buildings. The church sits empty, except for Sundays, when about 60 people attend services.
“We don't have a large staff in our building during the week. Typically, it's myself and our first lady,” Robey said.
But at the end of last year, the church received a water bill for $731. Each of the previous two bills was less than half that. The church disputed it.
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The plumbers found no issues.
“When we talked to a consultant, they told us, well, the amount of water that they're saying that you used per day for, I think it was about a seven-day period was enough to fill up a swimming pool,” Robey said. “We don't have a swimming pool.”
The city did not find any issues either. Their report read “no leaks found,” but the bill stands.
“We had everything tested and this was money out of our pocket,” Robey said. “The city didn't pay for this. To be told after we do everything you asked for, ‘OK, you still going to have to pay this.’”
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“No one was in the building,” Robey said.
The city gave a credit for that bill.
“Their conclusion and it read, while it is impossible to determine how water was used or lost during the three-month period in question, it is noted that worship services at the location had been suspended due to COVID-19,” Robey said.
But this time, no credit.
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“Since 2012, Columbus Water & Power has seen nine instances of unusually high water usage at Missionary Baptist Church, 27 East 7th Avenue.
"Over the years, our Customer Service and Metering teams have assisted church leaders in identifying possible causes and have also made adjustments to past bills when appropriate. Following a high bill in 2020, we removed and tested the church’s water meter, which confirmed its accuracy. In 2023, the church was one of our first customers to receive one of the new Enhanced Meter Project (EMP) meters, which provide more detailed usage data.
"The next incident of abnormal usage appeared on the church’s November 2024 bill; while investigating this, our technicians – and a plumber hired by the church – determined there were no leaks or other obvious issues. The church appealed this bill; while an adjustment could not be approved, we remained committed to helping the customer identify the root cause, as they have expressed strong interest in resolving the issue.
"During a follow-up visit, our technician noted that the meter indicator was moving, and an interior valve leading to an outside faucet was open. While the outside faucet was not on, closing the interior valve resulted in the meter indicator stopping. Within that same timeframe, data from the EMP meter also revealed a prolonged period of continuous water flow.
"EMP meter data is not detailed enough to determine which tap or taps are left on, but being able to track daily usage is one of several future benefits of an account portal that will be available to all customers. We will continue working with church leaders in their efforts to find the root cause of these high usage episodes.”
Robey said the meter began moving again shortly after.
“Just reading this, I can tell you for certain that this is not true,” Robey said. “I've been here since 2009. So I would have known all nine of those instances.”
We checked and the church has two outdoor faucets: one, you need a special tool to access. The other is locked.
“When their technician came out and walked the entire facility with me, we came out here,” Robey said. “He saw that the ground was stone dry, had not been disturbed by water.”
Pickerington school bus transportation in limboChurch leaders are frustrated and concerned they’ll keep being billed for water they say they never used.
“They told us that their meters were infallible and my deacon leader shared with them, only thing that I know this infallible is God,” Robey said. “So for you to suggest that your meter is infallible is an insult because anything made by man can have flaws.”
The church paid that $700 water bill because they do not want to be delinquent on any payments. They are asking for a credit and answers as to why their bill spiked.
The church plans to share its next water bill with Better Call 4 when it is received.
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