
Getting Hosed: Officials finally address on bad water billing at City Council hearing
The Chicago City Council Finance Committee held a hearing Tuesday with the heads of the Water Management and Finance departments.
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The Chicago City Council Finance Committee held a hearing Tuesday with the heads of the Water Management and Finance departments.
A week-by-week log of meter readings showed zero water usage on some entries. Other times, the report came back at 6 million gallons used in a week.
The family knew they had unpaid water charges to settle before selling their three-flat in Roseland, but nothing like the amount they got.
The circumstances vary from case to case, of course, but in short, the pattern involves Chicagoans getting socked with bills for water they didn't use.
"You've got people walking around on fixed income and they can't afford to pay a $500 bill," Burns said. "I would like to see mistakes corrected and I would like to see communication. There's no communication!"
"It's just nuts to me that we have this issue that continues to be reported, on and the city departments are not doing anything about it," Villegas said.
Numerous people whose stories we've reported over the past four years have been getting hosed by bogus bills - often rising into the tens of thousands of dollars.
This did not happen until the CBS 2 Investigators got involved.
Connie Abels has been waiting five years for her hearing.
The homeowner was just being an honest guy and alerted the Chicago Department of Water Management to his unusually low bill.
"The issue with being a city employee is we are obligated to pay any city obligation," said paramedic Lisa Beard.
In Chicago when you die, ComEd shuts off your electricity, and Peoples Gas shuts off your gas. But the city does not stop your water.
Illinois' lead pipe situation is the worst in the country.
Yasser Almanaseer said he has had no luck in getting it fixed.
How does a City of Chicago water bill for $70 turn into a $10,000 tab from one bill to the next?
Getting Hosed, our exposé on Chicago's bad water billing, has saved consumers hundreds of thousands of dollars. So we wanted to know - what happens if you take on the City yourself?
"They told me to hire a good lawyer, that this is probably a billing issue with the city."
Aldermen voted against Ald. Daniel La Spata's proposal for helping low-income residents with water bills, while a competing proposal from Mayor Lori Lightfoot remains bottled up in a separate committee.
Hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans with unmetered accounts pay inflated bills – and you can't get a meter for a fair bill until you get a non-lead service line.
Rodney Andrews — a Vietnam Veteran, a Chicago cabbie, and our main protagonist — was among those "Getting Hosed" by the City until we fixed his water bill. Then, out of the blue, the City had his garage bulldozed.
The pastor of a Pilsen church says he feels like he's getting hosed - with an $11,000 water bill. And he's not alone.
Over the years, viewers have reached out to the CBS 2 Investigators concerned about the high levels of lead in their drinking water.
For our latest Getting Hosed expose, the CBS 2 Investigators dug into issues with vacant, unmetered properties and the regressive billing policies that lead to inflated water bills.
"I just think that this is municipal property. I can't see it any other way," said Christine Wehrle, who disputes that she should have to pay for the repairs.
The bill for her Southside six-flat is now nearly $60,000 — for water that was never used. In fact, the building has been boarded up and vacant since her last tenant moved out in 2018.
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Late Wednesday night, we were there as adults and small children stepped off one of the buses, and greeted with blankets.
There were four armed robberies, one carjacking, and one aggravated assault that was believed to be an attempted robbery in Oak Park early Sunday.
Officials said the person who died was inside the Covington LX RV that was completely torched.
officials said the person who died was inside the Covington LX RV that was completely torched.
There were four armed robberies, one carjacking, and one aggravated assault that was believed to be an attempted robbery in Oak Park early Sunday.
Late Wednesday night, we were there as adults and small children stepped off one of the buses, and greeted with blankets.
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They turned to CBS 2 Investigators for help after they then got stuck with a big bill.
Late Wednesday night, we were there as adults and small children stepped off one of the buses, and greeted with blankets.
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President Biden said the UAW "saved the auto industry back in 2008," and should reap the benefits of profits now.
The move comes as the city works to find housing for more than 14,000 asylum seekers who have been brought to Chicago since last August.
Hyundai warned drivers to park their cars outside until they can get the necessary repairs.
MV Realty is based out of Florida, but operates in Indiana and several other states – including Illinois.
They accused James Nesbitt of taking off with deposits without completing jobs and complained he didn't respond to customers.
The Chicago City Council Finance Committee held a hearing Tuesday with the heads of the Water Management and Finance departments.
She was yet another victim who didn't get their money back until CBS 2 got involved.
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"We're not going to wait around forever for a fair contract," UAW President Shawn Fain said. "The companies know how to make this right."
Hundreds of autoworkers gathered Thursday outside the UAW Local 551 headquarters, 13550 S. Torrence Ave., to protest.
"I want to see a moratorium on these type of businesses opening up in our city," said Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th). "This happens in communities all across the city of Chicago."
Grocers Kroger and Albertsons are selling more than 400 stores and other assets to C&S Wholesale Grocers in an approximately $1.9 billion deal as part of their efforts to complete their merger.
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There were four armed robberies, one carjacking, and one aggravated assault that was believed to be an attempted robbery in Oak Park early Sunday.
CBS 2 news crews talked with one of the victims who said his iPhone was stolen by a group near 79th Street and Jeffery Boulevard.
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Pete Baum, 48, of Hobart, was charged Tuesday for causing the accident on Sunday evening.
Gerzin Ramirez-Perez, 33, has been charged with one felony count of aggravated unlawful restraint and two misdemeanor counts of domestic battery.