A vendor working for Palm Coast government inadvertently issued 13,000 erroneous utility bills to city customers last week, the result of a software update. The city is asking recipients–residents or businesses–to ignore the bills which carry no payable balance anyway.
The snafu occurs at a time when both the city and its utility department have been facing difficult months over what culminated in the recent approval of sharp utility rate increases over the next 30 months, and from a state consent order requiring the city to upgrade its troubled and overworked Waste Water Treatment Plant 1 in the Woodlands. The city did not need another utility-focused problem, though it appears that the utility is not to blame for the mistake.
During the software update, a release the city issued Friday states, “a batch of old utility bills-—some dated years ago-—was inadvertently reissued and sent to approximately 13,000 residents. These bills may appear unfamiliar or outdated, but they all reflect a zero-dollar balance and do not require any payment or action.”
If you received one of these inaccurate bills, disregard it. “This was a technical error, and we apologize for any confusion it may have caused,” the city states. The City is working closely with the vendor to ensure the issue is corrected and does not happen again in the future.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Customer Service at 386-986-2360 on Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. or visit PalmCoast.gov/Connect.
