Atlanta business owner's $30,000 water bill dispute helped inspire new city legislation

An Atlanta business owner who has spent years fighting a nearly $30,000 water bill says his case remains unresolved, even after his experience helped inspire changes to how the city handles disputed water charges.

The Atlanta City Council approved two measures last week aimed at giving some customers more options when challenging unusually high water bills. One expands the authority of the city's Water and Sewer Appeals Board, while the other allows the Department of Watershed Management to negotiate certain disputed balances.

But for Jeff Raw, who runs a small construction business with his sister, the changes raise a new question: Will they help resolve his own case?

Raw's dispute began while he was building a home on Alston Drive in southeast Atlanta. He says the city began charging for water before the house was connected to the meter.

A city water bill dated May 18, 2023, showed a balance of $29,695.67.

Months later, on Dec. 19, 2023, Jonathan Williams, then a deputy commissioner with Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management, sent an email acknowledging that the account's previous balance reflected water leakage caused by the department's actions.

Williams said the corrected balance was $219.24.

Raw paid that amount the same day, according to a city payment receipt. However, the receipt still showed an outstanding balance of $29,603.83.

The city later maintained that the correction was made in error, according to previous reporting. The payment receipt does not establish why the larger balance remained on the account.

Raw says the dispute delayed the sale of the home and resulted in additional financing costs. He also says $35,000 remains tied up in escrow because of the unresolved charges.

"It still keeps me up at night. being a small business, we have debt still and I owe money to people and getting this money back will allow me to make everybody whole," Raw said.

Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari, who represents District 5 and serves as vice chair of the City Utilities Committee, said Raw's experience helped inspire legislation expanding the Water and Sewer Appeals Board's authority to consider credits for certain unusually high bills.

Bakhtiari said some customers previously presented evidence that they had not caused unusual water usage but still could not obtain relief because of limits on the board's authority.

"They would hear the case and then they would say, you've done everything you can do, but we cannot help you with this, I'm sorry," Bakhtiari said. "This will allow them the ability to hear those cases and then be able to act and say whether or not these people or individuals are eligible to have that money credited back to them."

The separate measure, known as F.L.O.A.T. 2.0, gives the city temporary authority to negotiate certain eligible residential water-billing disputes. The program is scheduled to begin Nov. 1 and run through Jan. 31, 2027.

Neither measure guarantees that every disputed bill will be reduced. Customers must meet applicable eligibility requirements, and it remains unclear whether Raw's existing dispute qualifies for relief.

The issue comes as Atlanta faces a substantial backlog of unpaid water and sewer bills. An August 2026 city audit identified approximately $236 million in overdue charges across more than 60,00 0 accounts.

At the same time, residents throughout metro Atlanta continue seeking help paying their water bills.

United Way of Greater Atlanta said its 211 Contact Center has received 829 requests for water bill assistance so far in 2026 across its 13-county service area. That compares with 1,012 requests during the same period last year.

The figures represent requests for financial assistance, not necessarily complaints about incorrect water bills.

Atlanta's City Utilities Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday at 10 a.m. Bakhtiari said the new billing programs and the city's unpaid water accounts are expected to be discussed, with ongoing updates from Watershed leaders.

Residents who believe their water bills are incorrect can contact the Department of Watershed Management, call 311 or reach out to their Atlanta City Council representative, Bakhtiari said.

CBS News Atlanta contacted the Department of Watershed Management seeking answers about Raw's current dispute and whether the new legislation could apply to his case.

The department did not address those questions in its latest response. Instead, it said Watershed Commissioner Greg Eyerly and other department leaders would be available for interviews the following week as the new initiative launches.

For Raw, the broader changes represent progress. But he says his fight is not over.

"To the people at Watershed, shame on you. It's disappointing. You know what's right. Just do the right thing," Raw said.