The Argyle Town Council said the Town will be offering refunds to residents living in the Harvest community prior to March 2024 that were overcharged on wastewater bills.
The Town contracted Raftelis, a local government and utility consulting firm, to investigate the billing issues with Argyle Water Supply Corporation.
Since 2018, as rates changed, some residents in the community were charged the incorrect amount due to a miscommunication between the Town and Argyle Water Supply Corporation, according to Marissa Barrett, Argyle’s finance director.
“Argyle believes they communicated [the new rate] to Argyle Water Supply and they proceeded with what they understood,” she said. “And the discrepancies were not caught.”
Raftelis calculated that the Town owes about $229,443 in refunds over the course of seven years with most billing issues totaling $224,011, happening from 2021 to 2024.
With the most recent rate change, Barrett said Town staff is keeping a closer eye on resident billing to ensure the rates are charged correctly and prevent any further issues.
Residents that were impacted need to fill out a refund application, get it notarized and submit it via email to Candi Smith at csmith@argyletx.com or mail it to P.O. Box 609, Argyle, TX 76226.
In the case that a customer is no longer at a residence, Raftelis’ representative said part of its analysis was able to “capture each individual customer to know who it goes to, not just an address or account.”
Therefore, a former resident will still be able to get a refund.
The Town Council discussed how long the applications should be accepted at its March meeting, deciding on December 31 to allow for as much time as possible for customers to get their refunds.
“As a taxpayer and utility payer, I feel bad that residents were overcharged,” said council member Casey Stewart. “So, I want to be very generous with the date so we can process every refund we possibly can.”
Mayor Rick Bradford supported the later acceptance date and complemented Raftelis on its services and analysis.
