A Prichard business owner says he received a $700 water bill despite having no running water at his business, raising fresh questions about billing and service reliability in a city already facing scrutiny over its finances.
The billing dispute surfaces amid a broader, ongoing fight between Prichard’s mayor and city council over control of municipal spending — a fight that has already exposed gaps in the city’s ability to keep current on some of its own obligations, including a lapse in city employee dental and vision insurance earlier this summer.
Billing disputes involving high charges without corresponding service are not unusual in municipal water systems with aging meter infrastructure or administrative backlogs, but the timing here — arriving as Prichard’s broader financial management is already under a magnifying glass — has added extra scrutiny to what might otherwise be treated as a routine customer service complaint.
It was not immediately clear whether the business owner has received a response from the city on the disputed charge, or whether other Prichard customers have reported similar billing issues.