High Utility Bills in Richland? City Says They May Know Why

(Richland, WA) -- The City of Richland says they are implementing a new system to monitor both residents and businesses utility use. City administration says it's called the Advanced Metering Infrastructure system. The rollout, the city says, is making things difficult for some customers utility bills. Officials call it a complex operation that has been challenging for the city, and as they admit, frustrating for their customers. As a result, Richland says they have established an internal project team to deal with customers' concerns.

The city, in a statement posted on Facebook, claims the issue is impacting only a small percentage of their customers and is pausing new meter installation efforts for two weeks while they conduct an internal review. If you have questions, or feel like you've been impacted, contact customer service at customerservice@ci.richland.wa.us or by phone at 509-942-1104. They say you can expect high wait times due to heavy call volumes and they are doing their best to try and mitigate the wait.