I-Team: Empty Atlanta lot with no water line gets nearly $30K bill, owner appeals and loses

Before the new Atlanta home was built there was just dirt, but for months the contractor was charged nearly $30,000 for water usage. He appealed. He lost.
Subscribe to FOX 5 Atlanta!: bit.ly/3vpFpcm
Watch FOX 5 Atlanta Live: www.fox5atlant...
FOX 5's Good Day Atlanta team brings you the latest news, weather, traffic, sports, entertainment and more. Please join us in the mornings to get your day started right.
Watch more from FOX 5 Atlanta on KZbin:
FOX 5 News: • FOX 5 News
FOX 5 Atlanta I-Team: • FOX 5 Atlanta I-Team
Good Day Atlanta: • Playlist
FOX 5 Extras: • FOX 5 Extras
You Decide: • You Decide | FOX 5 News
Download the FOX 5 Atlanta app: www.fox5atlant...
Download the FOX 5 Storm Team app: www.fox5atlant...
Follow FOX 5 Atlanta on Facebook: / fox5atlanta
Follow FOX 5 Atlanta on Twitter: / fox5atlanta
Follow FOX 5 Atlanta on Instagram: / fox5atlanta
Subscribe to the Morning Brief and other newsletters from FOX 5 Atlanta: www.fox5atlant...

[@Trojans5050]

Citizens of Atlanta should demand the leadership of the water board be all fired. They’re a public utility. This is ridiculous.

[@jkohutiak]

They voted blue. No brains.

[@bencruz563]

Fired....at while blindfolded and stood up against a wall. Agreed

[@gopplergoppler8827]

Kings vs peasants paperwork and fraud are the currwnt day chains. History will cycle and repeat, when blatant fraud from the government itself is showed for amusement but ignored, wars will come soon. Be ready in life avoid and fight paperwork chains on your freedom

[@TheCatherineCC]

Behold the immense power of nonviolence and what can be achieved working within the system.

[@troysarnowski5213]

Easy file in court for false billing.

[@ericscott3997]

How corrupt is the Watershed Board? These folks deserve prison time!

[@3182john]

Especially the one that sent the bill.

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

Well it's Georgia and we all saw how the above board the voting was in 2020

[@bubbajones4522]

You can ask the Atlanta city bureaucrat behind this bill Nick Cappon ([e-mail]).

[@Seasniffer69]

Its almost like the gov assumed the role of the mafia

[@Always_Thinking]

Seems like "extremely corrupt"😱😱

[@aaronwilson4258]

It would take nearly 19 hours and multiple water trucks to collect 10,000 gallons of water. It is ridiculous to think it was stolen. Everyone on the board should be fired.

[@stalesnail146]

the guy is a renovator, he probably has concrete/ pool filling friends, if anyone could have done it, he could have done it

[@ReadTheShrill]

@@stalesnail146 Look at the bill at 2:04. The water and sewer usages are the same, which means that water is going down the sewer, not being stolen.

[@stevek8829]

​@@ReadTheShrillthe water isn't even connected. Many places bill sewer by the regular water meter.

[@stitch684]

Uh, I guess you got those numbers from a different size truck. In Texas Vacuum truck can haul about 5000 gallons or 130BBLS of water...

[@whatta7793]

@@stitch684 I think he's going by a regular water hose output, Google says 9-17 gpm, say and average of 13 gpm. That'd be 780 gallons/hour, so to fill 10,000 gallons would be just shy of 13 hours.

[@Txepsiyu]

That board member that brought up "theft" needs to be fired and charged with fraud.

[@fabianflores899]

I know cause how can you steal water when there isn't even water lines

[@ghoster3078]

Or much much worse😮😮😮

[@AMD7027]

@@fabianflores899easy, a pool company comes up and makes a temporary connection to the meter, takes 10,000 gallons to fill a truck and disconnects. THAT is what the board member is implying.

[@jwarrior9986]

Someone came up late at night when nobody was there, plumbed the meter into a truck, drove away with a million gallons of water, then removed all the plumbing used to make that possible. Also the truck used was the size of a skyscraper...🤣 Yeah, that OR the more plausible scenario that the water meter is defective and was counting when it shouldn't have been counting. Its government, so why would we be surprised that they would come up with the single dumbest possible explanation. Please tell me again how Socialism will fix everything?🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@baredog6774]

30K of attempted fraud is a felony. The waterboard should be arrested and put in jail.

[@mjl9702]

All it takes is the Attorney General to arrest every member of the board for fraud. the case doesn't have to stick. those highly College educated cowards would pee their kakis dockers just from one night in jail. this would be solved in a second as soon as they met some real criminals. they are charging him to cover up their screw up.

[@LibLibertyLibertarian]

this is DEI policies at their finest.

[@TheMightyGoldenWest]

What, do you expect the law to do what it's supposed to? This is America, we throw citizens in prison for victimless crimes and give immunity to any kind of company or organization of any kind that's actually ruining people's lives. We also sentence people based on how good their pouty face is. Women are all pretty much completely unpunishable, especially attractive ones. Justice! It's a beautiful thing.

[@httm241]

You could say he was a waterboarded

[@elokin300]

@@LibLibertyLibertarianhuh?

[@raketensven3127]

*Department investigates itself and finds no wrong doings.* Shocker.

[@SleepyJoeisSlow]

If it's not obvious the golf course used that water, I don't know what is. That much water under the ground would have created huge caverns

[@Ancient_Entity]

​@@SleepyJoeisSlowyou are clueless... the actual obvious thing is the water company having a busted pipe was the reason... they said so themselves in the email, surprise surprise when they came back and messed with the meter and hooked it to the house the bills plummeted.

[@SleepyJoeisSlow]

@@Ancient_Entity Aren't you a little piece of corn in a cow patty. Not sure why you're giving me the blues except to try to act like you're smart. Where's your skin in the game?

[@TrueXyrael]

You should see the report about a guy who had a piece of bridge fall on his truck, put a liability claim in against Caltrans, and they said he needed to notify them about falling debris before they hit his truck.

[@kevinparker48]

Wow I thought Canada was bad... This is nuts!

[@michael931]

When you see the guy at 3:20 explaining how 1,000,000 gallons of water got stolen you understand everything you need to know about this organization.

[@CPreacher40]

what do you expect when people are hired or voted in based on boxes they can check off instead of ability.

[@angelainamarie9656]

​@@CPreacher40that has absolutely nothing to do with it, bigot

[@kimpaul]

DEI government at work

[@donnagelina8548]

💯 Crooks!!!!!

[@babybry311]

I found the culprit, it's the board members going out and hooking water trucks up to artificially inflate water bills. If someone comes to appeal the bill it is across the board denial. They must be selling the water to another contractor.

[@jeffraw2602]

UPDATE: Still no progress from the City of Atlanta Watershed Dept. They want us to sue them to resolve the issue...

[@joshuahudson2170]

File for jury trial. You will win this one before a jury. They have no chance.

[@KentuckyHillbilly]

Well.. That's one way to make a few million dollars. A jury will have no mercy on them.

[@TheDjcarter1966]

Definitely file for a jury trial, with the admission from the water board member that there was in fact a leak it should be an easy win my guess is you won't even go to trail, you just need them to pay your lawyer fees, but I would pay $5-10k in lawyers fees myself before giving them a dime.

[@jyienger]

Sue. That water board member didn't list the 4th possibility. METER ERROR. It's their business, their equipment and they are obligated to provide equipment that works. Clearly it's a flawed product.

[@gmailisaretard]

@@jyienger Meter errors are almost 100% in the other direction. Fun fact, if you check your water meter, and it looks like that thing has lived in the ground since the 90's, you DO NOT want to have it changed, because the older the meter, the slower it ticks over. That said most places are updating to Emeters.

[@jumpoffjoe6572]

As a trucking company owner, I can tell you, that an 80k lb. tank truck can haul about 6300 gallons of water that is distributed to bottled water facilities. 305k gallons of water would take approximately 48 tanker loads. Over 5 months, that would be nearly 2.5 tanks full every weekend, and with a garden hose, would take about 53 hours to fill that tank at 2 gallons per minute, or about 132 hours for 2.5 tankers every weekend. Absolutely not possible !!!!! There's a huge theft tanking place here, and its not the builder.

[@Trudel-xb2gn]

Great break down Crazy when facts and common sense are ignored when money is involved. Sigh.

[@devind2915]

Your waaay off, they say he used 300,000 gallons per month for 5 months strait which is 1.5 million gallons. They would have had to fill 50 tankers per month, not over 5 months. So they would have to fill almost 2 water tankers every single day, 7 days a week for 5 months strait.

[@larrybolhuis1049]

Even if the house had a 1" delivery pipe, which could theoretically flow 2,200 GPH, it would take nearly a full 24 hour day EVERY WEEK to take that much water! And that would be 400,000 lbs of water every weekend, for 5 months. "Nope nothing to see here, just fillin' my bucket with a little water, no need to pay attention, please move along......."

[@DrunkenSwimmer]

The flowrates are exactly what I went to look for in the comments. This is the classic case of simple mathematics demonstrating just how wrong a bureaucracy is.

[@tedkaczynskiamericanhero3916]

​@@Trudel-xb2gn*when the government gets involved* not just money.

[@matefamily7883]

How can bill someone that has no water lines. How ridiculous.

[@ImprovmanZero]

Simple the problem is the beuracrats are not elected

[@deanjones2525]

These board members are part of a huge SCAM. I would look into their finances. Someone is getting PAID. You can't be this unethical without having an ulterior motive.

[@AB-ol5uz]

sounds like internal fraud in that department.

[@xStillborn]

How can they also state that it was a leak caused by the department of watershed management but HE still has to pay ...

[@deanjones2525]

@xStillborn Remember, the higher-ups struck down that assessment. Furthermore, where was that much water leaking to? This is extortion.

[@TysonDylan0]

He needs to take it to an ACTUAL court. The WaterShed Board is a joke. "We suspect theft, so it must be you!" Thats not how the law works

[@soliniv1411]

We dont care what the hell is going on here, you just need to pay us 😂

[@bibby659]

Do you think you're innocent until proven guilty? Pff, this is the 20th decade of the 20th century! That doesn't exist anymore. You're guilty the second you're accused of it regardless of your defense!

[@Bestmepossible]

If anyone is using million gallons it may be the golf course across the street.

[@roselynn816]

Exactly!

[@Ex-Animo05]

@@Bestmepossible exactly what I was thinking!

[@elliotalderson2479]

In 2015 we went out of state for 3 months for this program. Turned off water main and made sure there wasn’t anything leaking. Our bill for each of those months was around the same as the other months when we took showers everyday and washed dishes and did laundry. Their response. “We assumed there was an error so estimated the water usage” yeah nah if you THINK there is an issue you don’t charge nothing till you go there and check the meter and see if it’s working. The meter is outside.

[@gmailisaretard]

Honestly they probably didn't check your meter for several months at all if you're telling a true story. Local utility guy I used to work with has had situations where they couldn't check a meter for several months straight, and kept giving estimations. Eventually he was sent to jump fences and out run dogs lol. Now days they are mostly trying to get digital meters that you just drive by to collect the reads.

[@billiep4338]

The “water board” is NOT a court. They can’t legally justify this. Take this to Superior Court and if that doesn’t work, take it to Supreme Court. Sue for every single day of stress & aggravation. The people that bought the house need to sue for their loss and stress of not being able to take possession of the home. Every single one of them needs to be fired and audited. Contact the IRS and give their names.

[@ashleymiller7439]

Exactly, the board consists of idiots appointed by the council and they only exist to serve the interests of themselves and the people who put them there. For sure the business owner is a jerk for not taking the legal route immediately and instead whining before the board like a peon and making that family hole up in a basement for months and months with nothing to show for it. The court could have gotten that family in the house while handling the bs between the developer and utility as a separate issue.

[@weedfreer]

The only problem with this is that the family who ordered the house would have to sue the building contractor and the building contractor would then need to add the cost to what he's suing the water shed board for.

[@jpetify]

If that doesn’t work get a tank.

[@knarfweasel]

​@@jpetifykill dozer rides again

[@michaelkaiser1864]

yeah. our justice system is so trust worthy now.....

[@nickemanouil114]

The bank accounts of all involved should be audited🤔

[@thieltech1]

I agree ! Guaranteed the board members or water shed pocketed money and dont wanna pay it back. So this poor guy gets the debt

[@josephwiese1114]

Plus their relatives & freinds too.

[@300beatz]

Out of all the statements here this one makes the most sense. It's clear that that man didn't use a million gallons of water, and it's virtually impossible for him or anyone else to steal it. So the only other Solutions are clerical error or straight up corruption.

[@utahi404]

This is the only answer. Someone(s) is definitely pocketing that money!

[@1stfloorguy59]

A water leak before the meter? That doesnt make sence...... Sounds like he was getting billed for the gold club

[@dixonhill7526]

There is actually a fourth possibility: GRAFT. Someone in the agency may well be pocketing money, and running up fictitious bills to cover the disparities in the agency's books. If this is the case, then very probably, everyone on the review board--with the exception (maybe) of the woman who did not want to deny this appeal, would also be receiving a cut of that graft. To me, this would seem to be the most logical explanation for so many occurrence's. i.e.: In such a scenario: The 80% of denied appeals would almost all be attributable to graft cover-up, while the 20% of granted appeals would have been actual errors (instead of intentional errors, made to cover theft from within). Sounds to me like the D.A. might want to think of opening an investigation.

[@bedubz87]

Looks like the previous Atlanta Watershed Commissioner (Jo Ann Macrina) was sent to prison for accepting bribes on the job. You may be onto something.

[@arga400]

The woman who "totally didnt want to deny the appeal" is lying lol If she didn't want to deny it she would have just voted that way

[@djmeredith6520]

Wow... so true

[@mysticalbtch]

Facts

[@billydoyle9984]

I was going to suggest. Attorney general review.

[@Lasingna1]

That man is getting robbed of $30,000 by unelected bureaucrats. This is one of the reasons that I don't want to live in a big city.

[@hadley407]

He should sue them and make them pay his attorneys fee when he wins! Theres no way someone trucked out 10 swimming pools full of water each week without anyone seeing!

[@JustaGuy_Gaming]

Honestly the only possible way it would happen is if some one tapped the line and directed it to them, and there would be evidence of that. You can't just turn on the garden hose and steal that kind of water. If I had to guess the Golf course would be a likely culprit as they tend to go through tons of the stuff. Other than that though, no it's impossible. And again there would be evidence of some one tapping the house line like that.

[@GeorgiaWhisper]

I remember a guy did that in downtown Atlanta years ago. A neighboring business rigged the line and had the owner of the vacant building owner paying the water bill. The watershed management didn't want to admit fault. They even claimed to fix it and lied.

[@countpicula]

The gov never has to pay.

[@gopplergoppler8827]

China owns most water companies and our current president and reigning party... eo goodlick fighting them with the "legal system". Math and physics itself as well as 2 witnesses and a news station.... the chynhese company wins hmmm wonder why?

[@jonasstahl9826]

​@@JustaGuy_GamingActualy it is easily possible to use that much water. A sink gets like 250 gallon per hour in 4000 hours (half a year) that is 1 million gallon. Story could be, child opend faucet in the basement and no one noticed

[@jessemitchem3880]

That lawyer should be disbarred. Everyone else involved should be fired.

[@ethanlewis1453]

Rest assured that is not a lawyer, just someone without qualifications of any kind paid big bucks to be a criminal.

[@Lacroix999]

Don’t blame the lawyer when it’s the system that’s messed up!!

[@Detroit_Dawg]

disbarred for what? Did this lawyer break the law?? You sound like an idiot.

[@T3_Surv]

The city / water co lawyer must also be held to account.

[@JohnWickjr]

And then charged w. fraud.

[@omnikitsune3895]

This IS definitely criminal. How dare they charge him that much for something he didn't even do?! This should be taken to court, and the water board should be ashamed of itself!

[@Lina-ws3by]

charge them what they tried to charge.

[@DoroNijimaru]

but can he prove that he didn't? by the way, i'm accusing you of stealing several swimming pools of water from me over a vague period in the past. prove to me without a shadow of a doubt that you didn't, or pay me $30,000.

[@jelly7310]

​@@DoroNijimaruthe whole " not even having a water line to the lot" should be proof enough

[@Beldhan]

@@DoroNijimaru actually you need proof for show that he have done it, not the inverse, that why we say the defendant.... here they need to show proof he did steal the water or use it... not at him to show that he is not related to the case. at this point they try to make him pay for a mistake on them part. it happend often sadly... a company make a mistake on a line and it's the person to pay for it. and this is definitivly criminal. and need to go to court for fraud at this point.

[@DoroNijimaru]

@@Beldhan @my.point

[@patriot101101]

Stop appealing and sue them in Federal court for unjust charges.

[@conradb7200]

Absolutely DISGUSTING abuse of authority and power!!

[@nsvo9038]

Actually it's pretty much business as usual. Sadly there is a ton of profit with this kind of overt theft. This way all that is rquired is to deal with the very few people who actually follow through in the court system.... You can't gease your palms if you simply honour the contracts in a logical manner.

[@678friedbed]

yep, government should not be able to protect monopolies or control the water supply. people should have the right to choose their water supplier

[@joncheek7063]

Water should not be run by a for PROFIT company. There is a reason most 1st world countries do not use private companies for water,electic, prisons etc. @@678friedbed

[@danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307]

Why didnt the guy sit there with a video on the meter to see it move? Get the meter tested! so its on the meter!

[@nicknevco215]

it prob go to lush fund full dark money

[@JoeZelensky]

Everyone on the board that wants the bill to stand should be in prison.

[@jjwagnell]

That would be all four of them...including the lady who "didn't want to deny the appeal" but did it anyways...why would she if she didn't want to?

[@PremiumUserUltra]

​@@jjwagnell glorified welfare recipients

[@CesarinPillinGaming]

Sounds like some of them were actually faking bills and water usage for corruption or something else.

[@MG-xr9dt]

A lot of the time it is the way the rules are written. It’s just like court. They have to go by the law exactly how it is written so technicalities are what they are hiding behind. It’s unethical but technically legal. It’s ridiculous and it happens everywhere 🙄

[@Jedi-Nite]

They want it to stand cause it's a bill to fund their Christmas bonuses

[@stephenfink4695]

Time for a class action lawsuit. People need to at least lose their jobs, if not serve time over this abuse. He’s right, it’s criminal.

[@ripvanrevs]

Why are those people still wearing face diapers?????

[@echo-hotel]

@@ripvanrevsit’s their right

[@dancemunki]

Prison

[@JonesCrimson]

@@ripvanrevs Lmao you're an absolute tool

[@JonesCrimson]

I'm thinking it's probably an error in the automated billing system, but you could argue the appeal being denied was malicious.

[@nunyabisnass1141]

The inspector said there was no hook up or leaks...the water dept has absolutely no standing for their claim.

[@Diane-xh7vl]

This isn't wild this is robbery 😠

[@quarterhorsgirl]

and shows the stupidity of the board especially the guy holding the mic.

[@Alexrogan0311]

Now you know what Trump was talking about, you can't beat the administrative state, you want more government you get more government.

[@galactic25]

someone stole the water! 😂

[@GaffGiraffe]

Funny you bring him into a conversation about corrupt politics, when he wasn't relevant or the subject of this story. Tells me you know exactly what kind of person your supporting.

[@Alexrogan0311]

@@GaffGiraffe I just knew it would trigger you

[@bubbamoran2964]

It almost sounds like there is criminal activity WITHIN the water department instead of the contractor

[@Justinlearns]

This is robbery via utility billing. He didn't use the water, the utility company can't prove he did. The water itself was never even provided. This is definitely a crime, probably similar to how the quality of water in flint is criminally toxic. These water agencies are becoming villains.

[@Tolbat]

its Atlanta, what do you expect? Its the next Chit-Cago

[@kdizzystl]

This!!!

[@kdizzystl]

Did I misunderstand? Didn't they have a written document that says no water was even hooked up?

[@Doc-kk3vv]

@@kdizzystl correct, nothing was connected past the meter. and everywhere, the street to the meter is on the water authority, and the meter to the house is on the builder/resident. Since there was nothing beyond the meter, this should be 100%, not on the builder.

[@nancybrouse5070]

The Water Board needs to be held criminally responsible and each one personally liable for damages and theft.

[@rs72098]

Honestly they could put them under a RICO charge. This sounds like organized crime even though it's in a rural town, this company is engaged in theft on high levels with the local laws supporting them.

[@aodigital9421]

The water board needs some water boarding.

[@Rays_Bad_Decisions]

Liberal accountability 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@peggytoes99]

AND FIRED PERMANENTLY FROM ANY WATER CO JOB AGAIN!

[@69NOMAN69]

diversity hire

[@annedon776]

Why is anyone surprised, it’s Atlanta. The level of corruption continues still, makes you think twice about moving there.

[@deerick3109]

This is the same city that bulldozed the wrong house blamed the owner and sent them the bill to remove the rubble.

[@The1stDukeDroklar]

He needs to sue. There's no way he can lose this. It is absolutely ridiculous.

[@garyconway6769]

Get a lawyer to file law suits against all of them individually then maybe they will pay attention.

[@TheGreatestShowman69]

Qualified immunity homeboy. City/ utility company isn’t legally liable.

[@The1stDukeDroklar]

@@TheGreatestShowman69 Unless it is a government-owned utility, they do not have qualified immunity. Qualified immunity needs to be revised and not include any company regardless of it being government-owned.

[@GM-vt6is]

Backup plan: put everything into an irrevocable trust and backdate it

[@ChopperChad]

@@TheGreatestShowman69qualified immunity can be denied under many circumstances and this seems like one where it would be.

[@dannytu0322]

Unless the Water board can proof "Theft" has taken place, they have no grounds of such accusation toward this man. This is clearly extortion for sure. The Water board member has to be investigated to see if such tactics has occurred in the past for illegal profit.

[@lewisbale1]

Of course it has, every day.

[@Fan-lq6uv]

Innocent until proven guilty. They haven't proven theft did take place so they are basically BS'ing their way out of losing all those water. I hope the court will find the water board's claim baseless and demand they remove $30,000 plus pay the land owner compensation for legal expenses and suffering from their incompetence.

[@shanebeck8559]

I guarantee you they have. They do it here down in Brevard Florida

[@joeraywilliams]

All you have to do is look at the meter is it spinning freely with no water flowing. Go out there and record the numbers daily

[@conscientiousobserver8772]

I would posit that theft did indeed take place, but not of the water.

[@spinbadmonkey108]

The theft is from the board. They should be audited for how many times they do this and fired

[@SuzanneBaruch]

Listen to the video again, as they've already been audited. 80% of the time, they rule against the consumer.

[@jcook2433]

Not the first time.

[@SvendleBerries]

@@SuzanneBaruch The government protects its own. Of course they found nothing wrong.

[@thystaff742]

Just fired for grand theft?

[@SuzanneBaruch]

@@SvendleBerries that's irrelevant to my response to the OP's point.

[@godblessamerica7048]

As a retired Utilities Director, this is lunacy.

[@JohnChrysostom101]

Those utility people are senile it's obvious to me, its more likely that grounds across the way was not being billed or they stole the water.

[@godblessamerica7048]

@@Etron49 It's hard to do without a water line or water meter, and besides, it's not legal.

[@adamchou9123]

Let's not miss the level incompetence from the department of water. They let 800k gallons of water go to waste! How the hell did they not detect this leak earlier?!

[@CbrF4i600cc]

Didn't go to waste .. it gets recycled

[@andrewbennett2044]

​@@CbrF4i600ccif it's isn't used to fill a pool and it doesn't go through a sewer system is considered wasted. By technicality is it "recycled" maybe depends on where the water go's. If someone is stealing water and using it to make a product that is considered lost water. What I'm saying isn't if it didn't go through the sewer system it is considered a loss. A good water company will be notified and a meter will be redflagged for high water use and they will send someone out/contact the property owner and make them aware of their high water usage. A bad water company doesn't and just let's it pile up. Then they get taken to court and it's a toss up whether they are found responsible or not.

[@sephardim4yeshua155]

It doesn't look like there was any water waist, as the neighbors didn't see any water issues. That much water would have been noticed in a huge way. The meter might be defective, but so is the conscience of everyone on the water board.

[@sephardim4yeshua155]

Sooo, this guy was technically water boarded.

[@scotthartman8993]

No they CLAIM the water was wasted.. This is a opure and simple Scam..

[@johnstachon9262]

Now you get a lawyer and sue them for fraud, defamation, mental anguish, and whatever else you can get and i ask for 10x the amount they tried to steal from you.

[@rightfulfuture4]

exactly

[@PamelaBrandonChromeFoto]

Sadly, the judge is in their pocket, just like it is here in Birmingham Alabama.

[@TheOmaJohn]

And then we all have to pay it and they continue to get away with their corrupt business. Government created monopolies always screw us over and, when they get caught, screw us over again. Water supply, schools, police, DOTs, you name it. It's always bad for us. They use mob strategies to get and protect their monopolies and that does not include doing anything with the actual intent of helping the people they purport to serve.

[@rp3741]

Happened to me with my water bill. They said I had a leak and I owed $3,094.00. My previous bill the month before was like $24.00. Said I used over 1 million gallons also. They did give me a credit for about a third. They absolutely refused to work out a reasonable payment plan with me and I would have to pay $800 upfront to even be eligible for a payment plan. When I didn't have $800 they shut my water off. It was OFF FOR A MONTH before a "supervisor" called me back and magically got it back on again. One of the worst nightmares. Your hands are absolutely tied and you are at their mercy.

[@itistime5699]

That’s extortion

[@Ou812-b1q]

Need to have the meter tested if the meter reader read the meter with a hand held device need to be tested or it could be a software glitch on the download of the hand held device

[@obie224]

@@Ou812-b1q thanks moron.

[@CatWhiskering]

This is banana-republic style corruption. This board needs to be behind bars.

[@jeffder7143]

Yep you need to sue. Thats crazy

[@yorn2010]

This is a complete stupidity. Wow you cannot live in a home you built due to unpaid water bill? No freedom at all.

[@runshousee]

I am a licensed master plumber and inspector in both New Jersey and Florida. I have been an inspector for 12 years worked for multiple municipalities, and I have been in the industry for over 30 years. It is virtually impossible to steal that amount of water. You would need 10 water tankers every weekend for months, it’s impossible and ridiculous No one would need to steal that kind of water for anything. I will tell you exactly what happened. Some of these water meters do not have an internal check valves so if they had a leak on the cities main or the main has constant surges, the meter would reciprocate back-and-forth constantly. That is most likely what created the huge bill. Not some made up marvel comic evil water thief villain

[@larrybolhuis1049]

"marvel comic evil water thief villain" ROTFLMAO!!!

[@WusWrongWitUs]

And i was thinking Aquaman had something to do with it😂😂😂

[@mkwest2273]

Hey the Dumb A** "Evil Villain Water Thieves" can be found at the oversight committee with the exception of the one and only intelligent person on that board. Are they just stupid, or only can answer what they are told to say ?

[@talyahr3302]

Thank you for sharing your experienced perspective!!

[@TinaFivesten]

When it's THIS important for the Atlanta Watershed Management, there's another reason and a lot more deliberate fraudulent behaviour behind this....!

[@555pontifex]

This reeks of corruption. Somebody at the level of the final person who denied the appeal has got his fingers in the pockets of this guy and probably many others. The appeal was denied in order to cover up the crime. Take them to federal court in a civil trial with a jury of peers, and set some investigative journalists onto this. Someone, probably more than one, needs to go to jail.

[@honeybadgerVulture]

Yeah something is off, especially with a golf course literally right across across the street. I mean those facilities use alot of water a month. 🤔

[@amandahugenkiss]

They know he has no other choice. See, if he sells the property and it has a lien, they can legally steal that 30k off of him. So no matter what he does, he's screwed and they know it. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. That's what's happened here. These people are drunk of power because there's no checks and balances.

[@eroccha]

It's corrupt. The amount used for residential would have flagged the water company long before hit reached 30k.

[@thepatriot7639]

Yes send them to jail The booty warrior is waiting 🥒💦🫣

[@jpierrot7224]

This just seems common with the courts now. I experienced the same with an issue of security deposit being taken for no reason. I only tried to fight it because I had already done research & knew the law was on my side. Judge made assumptions in landlord’s favor without any evidence. My appeals would be denied on technicalities, they would give me bad deadlines & say I didn’t do things right in their system but when I asked how they wanted things submitted they told me they couldn’t give legal advice. It came down to laziness & greed, as they’d charge me money for each step in the process. & they’re the courts & can just say, “we decided you don’t get your money back & we can do this.” I would’ve been satisfied if they ever even explained why they weren’t upholding the law. But it was always this, “f you we choose to do this” attitude. I went as far as filling out complaints, then it’s “we have a panel of dedicated people to look into this…& f you we decided.”

[@lilcheeps6147]

Since the board is suggesting theft, he should sue each board member for stealing his water makes sense since their claiming theft they must know they stole it

[@craigpennington1251]

ABSOLUTELY!

[@darthmax-fk8qe]

Anybody else think that the golf course is the culprit? Golf course consume a ridiculous amount of water

[@D007-u8e]

They need to file a class action lawsuit on behalf of ALL the victims of the water company and need a criminal investigation into the water company for hundreds of counts of extortion, larceny, grand thefts

[@kelly4187]

He will not be alone. If they are trying to deny a refund this badly then they are afraid of having to refund others. This needs a major inveatigation.

[@bleedthebeat1]

needs to be investigated by the department of Justice honestly @@kelly4187

[@synnove1046]

Yes, how many have been victims of this insane system but just gave up the hopeless fight? Please search for all who have been victims of this theft.

[@ivorypancho]

Water companys are like this everywhere there extortionists they dnt care bout no one but $$ look at ceo's bonuses from any water company in usa

[@oliverduke1173]

Yes make it a RICO

[@draelickarsus7937]

Refuse to pay. Sue the water department. Sue the members of the board. Put their names out in public and social media. This is a country founded by people who tared and feathered tax-collectors for much less. It is time the citizens remind our public officials that they have a duty to investigate incidents like this and that they are just as accountable for mistakes as the rest of us.

[@alexfagard3618]

they'll use Sovereign Immunity as a crutch

[@ryanp0342]

They are on a public board. Their names are already in public...

[@mr.k1896]

@@ryanp0342but most people don’t know who they are.

[@viix3815]

@@alexfagard3618 In the United States, sovereign immunity typically applies to the federal government and state government, but not to municipalities. Federal and state governments, however, have the ability to waive their sovereign immunity.

[@Chiefqueef91]

Preachhhh

[@shepherd3522]

I had an opposite experience. I had a leak under my house. The water was running down my drive and down the road. It took a few days for a plumber to fix it. I called my water provider because there were water restrictions due to an extended drought and I thought I might get reported. I was trying to avoid a fine. The water provider asked me to send them a copy of the plumbers bill and then they adjusted my bill down to normal use. They made effort to avoid billing me for excessive water use at my house because it was beyond my control. This is how providers should act.

[@steveescher1554]

That's crazy. Where do you live?

[@NicheGreens]

​@@steveescher1554not Atlanta 🤣

[@shepherd3522]

@@steveescher1554 Australia, which explains the drought. There are lots of similarities between the States and Australia but also differences. Things don't always work out and I was very surprised when they reduced my bill.

[@robgeach8105]

they do the exact same thing in atlanta. you call to notify of a leak, you send a copy of your plumber's bill, they adjust the usage before you get the bill. the adjustment is noted on the bill. this is a news story because they're being weird instead of normal.

[@NicheGreens]

@@robgeach8105 sure, all is normal in the corrupt city of Atlanta. It's only abnormal in the fact they're getting called out.

[@gaijinblow]

Unfortunately for the board, consumer civil suit cases tend to favor the consumer. They will absolutely lose. I hope the guy does not settle. Go after them.

[@almurdaugh]

Now, I get it. The board needs him to sue, knowing they would lose. Then, the board's insurance company will pay.

[@donhartfield]

If a government entity says it cannot be sued, you sue the state claiming failure of due process. You have a constitutional right of legal due process and some "water board" is not a qualified court.

[@robertarmstrong4228]

When they say that they can’t be sued. Sue them each instead as a whole

[@billiep4338]

Absolutely 💯

[@2TMON]

​@@robertarmstrong4228exactly. Sue them all individually and not just for having the bill corrected. Sue them for the damages he has with not being able to sell the home and all the wasted time taking it to the board. Might as well throw in mental anguish since it's one big freaking headache trying to deal with incompetent officials

[@DoctorSpicy]

Uhu

[@sayitaintso7544]

They are definitely in the wrong. Nobody could even steal that much water unless they brought in huge trucks which the public would have noticed. I had no idea that they couldnt be sued 6:23. If that is true and its a law then it should be overturned.

[@robertkelleher1850]

The smug look on the commissioner's face when he declared that their are only 3 options was disgusting. There is a 4th option, and that's a malfunctioning meter. It's even likely given that it wasn't connected. The evidentiary standard for depriving someone of property is a little higher than probable cause.

[@PsychoMuffinSDM]

I know, right? This is exactly what I thought. Either the meter, or something with the code. Maybe using no water created some kind of null value the breaks the computation.

[@knitwit7082]

​@@PsychoMuffinSDMOur electric bill jumped hugely for one month after we bought our house. We read the meter after we got the bill. It was not even as high as the numbers listed on the bill! I called and asked them what was going on. They said they would come by and check the meter. Sure enough, they had billed us for 2 months, one in the future! They were "estimating" our usage based on former owners, size of house, or something. They corrected the bill. A month later we got a new meter, and no problems since. They know they better READ our meter, not "estimate."

[@JoinOrDieGaming]

5th option: Defiance

[@rselby0654]

Typical Democrat 🙋🏿‍♂️

[@rkoskier1919]

Or another option, the meter was inadvertently switched with the golf course meter in their system so the builder was getting readings from the golf course meter (that golf course holds the PGA tour championship every year) and the golf course got the new meter readings. The golf course might not notice water fluctuations like that. Since the meter worked after being hooked up (it wasn't malfunctioning), the water district installer probably recognized the problem, switched the meters back in the system, and didn't tell anyone of the initial mistake. It also explains the email stating it was a leak in the system (that meter at the house cannot detect a leak in the system - it's just a lie to cover for an employee mistake entering the wrong meter in the system.

[@kingmo565]

When the system has you appeal to the very people issuing you a judgment, you know you're basically in a trap.

[@BuceGar]

This. No one in the government works for you, OR has any incentive to help you or be fair in any way. They have zero personal liability, and you can do nothing to them.

[@Cjmatthews87]

It makes you wonder what else they're capable of and what other shady practices they've been up to. Water is water the world is surrounded by the stuff yes it's "kind off cleaned" but nobody should be paying anywhere near that for council pop

[@dusknalos9545]

f o@@BuceGar

[@MrBesmir7]

Should company put in jail for blackmail 😢😢😢 they knew even physically it not possible

[@samanthaspeaks4206]

No you're in a system that is full of criminals and only God is going to change it!!!

[@Carnutzjoe]

Before connection to the future home the flow meter (likely a vortex flow meter) in the empty pipe was probably registering vibrations from vehicular traffic as water flow pulses. Once there was water, the background vibrations were nullified and the meter was accurate. The board is trying to deflect any sort of idea that their meters could be inaccurate by continuing to pursue this. If they admit the meters could be wrong that could lead to many other cases where their bills are extremely high.

[@account4info]

Or someone will enjoy a $30k bonus for the services not provided to a customer

[@BlueNEXUSGaming]

That isn't just criminal extortion, that is criminal embezzlement! They should attempt to charge the Utility Company with Wire Fraud, Mail Fraud, Misappropriation of City Funding, Embezzlement, Entrapment, Extortion, and any other crimes they can fathom associated with this heresy; in addition to demanding the Utility Company pay all the legal fees accrued.

[@arleatataylor382]

Exactly

[@H_H_____]

People in Warner Robins a couple hours away had high bills suddenly as well. It was a whole mix up where they were billing one guy the wrong bills as though he was filling his swimming pool. He had no pool. Turned out it was another person in the subdivision who had a pool. They had to fight this. It was awful. The water dept is all screwed up IMHO.

[@theNoNNo]

Dont forget coruption!!!

[@jesusismful]

Who's paying for the lawyers? Definitely won't be the guy with the $30,000 bill who went to the news instead of a lawyer.

[@BlueNEXUSGaming]

@@jesusismful Lawyers are required to perform a certain number of Pro Bono cases per year in order to keep their law license. Additionally, he can include lawyer fees in his lawsuit, and the news company wouldn't charge him to report getting charged with hundreds of swimming pools of water consumption from a property that doesn't have access to water; the news company might even pay him for the rights to report on that story.

[@chazman4461]

This is theft. They are literally trying to steal $30K off of this guy. Everyone from the appeals court to the city should be in jail.

[@le_th_]

Nope. It's the golf club across the street. Why is this not obvous? Someone needs to assess the golf club's water usage for the last several years and see if it dropped. They use a $hit-tonne of water DAILY, plus they likely also have a couple of pools and hot tubs since most golf, tennis, and country clubs do.

[@deadworld953]

@@le_th_ Watch the whole video. There's a letter where the dept of water and power *ADMIT* they made a mistake which lost the water. Then they said "too bad, pay us anyway". How did you not understand that part? Are you slow? No wonder this guy is being extorted, most americans are too stupid to follow a 5 minute news story.

[@scpatl4now]

@@le_th_ I was thinking the same thing. They got the meters crossed somehow

[@bobmatthews6918]

Not only is this guy on the hook for $30,000 but he is also lost money because he couldn’t let the other people move into the house

[@KG-we6by]

Not theft but Extortion

[@MTStingray]

If they are attempting to extort him for $30,000 when he couldn't possibly have taken that much water, especially with it not even hooked up to the house, that is a federal crime. They are essentially committing theft by extorting him, and theft of any property exceeding $1000 is a felony. He needs to get the FBI involved.

[@Garth2011]

FBI has a bad reputation these days.

[@BenFilley]

only if youre a criminal

[@DaveRogers1985]

Is it only me that thought ohh a golf course across the road, i wonder how many gallons the sprinklers there use? 😂

[@robertl.6919]

Corruption at its peak.

[@Alexrogan0311]

Now you know what Trump was talking about, you can't beat the administrative state, you want more government you get more government.

[@frequentlycynical642]

More like stupidity.

[@ashleymiller7439]

Local government can do far worse than this to a business owner.

[@Alexrogan0311]

@@ashleymiller7439 oh, just wait the feds passed a law that said you have to register with Fincen, if you don’t, it’s two years in prison if you don’t do it correctly it’s two years in prison you don’t do it on time it’s two years in prison that’s what the federal government can do. I’m sure it’ll be enforced like they enforced the law requiring people to register as a foreign agent where they only go after Trump’s people or how Obama used the IRS, EPA, FBI, and other federal agencies to target groups and businesses he didn’t agree with.

[@DaveC2729]

If there is any theft going on, I doubt it's water being stolen. Chances are somebody on or connected to the water board is embezzling, and they've got a scam going on to overcharge people who have a difficult time fighting them to make up the shortfall. I used to work for a construction company that had something like that happen. The water people need to be investigated for fraud.

[@terrancenorris9992]

This is a VERY plausible reason for a ridiculous charge for water to a vacant lot...😊

[@freezedeve3119]

most likely there is some technical problem on water meter which does not work correctly

[@DaveC2729]

@@freezedeve3119 If that's all it was, they would've apologized and dropped his bill to something reasonable. Fighting him like this, when it's obvious to anyone with two brain cells that they're wrong? That's pure fear. So what do they have to be afraid of? Logically, something that will happen to them if they don't get his money, no matter how wrong they are to take it. How many things could that be?

[@branstube2]

The only theft is from the board themselves

[@vania713]

Eureka! I think you just hit the nail in the head!

[@VegasGuy1975]

This is very simple. The theft was digital. The water board knew the amount was false, and didn’t bother to correct the computer related issue h til the water was actually connected. Sue them and after the suit, file charges for fraud.

[@fabianortiz1712]

You need money to sue

[@300beatz]

​@@fabianortiz1712 only if you lose... this is a pretty open and shut case. it wouldn't take a team of Rocket scientists to prove that that man didn't steal millions of gallons of water.

[@VegasGuy1975]

@@fabianortiz1712 not necessarily. Attorneys commonly take on cases like this on a contingency basis. Meaning they take on the risk of a legal loss, but if they win, they get a big cut of the judgement.

[@Wisepati]

Yes, I’m thinking there was a problem with their programming and somehow when they set up the meter. Were they actually reading the meter? Or is it a smart meter? Maybe these people should sue the meter manufacturer..

[@nickyleblanc4200]

My thoughts exactly. Did the meter actually read zero when installed? Perhaps it was a "used" meter that hadn't or couldn't be reset or perhaps as you suggest, a faulty digital setup.@@Wisepati

[@coreytrevor1920]

Wait so the watershed board admitted it was a leak after claiming it was theft. Someone is trying to hide the fact they stole 30,000$

[@NoToBigBro]

He has to stop suing them for the $ bill and have his lawyers/investigators focus on filing criminal charges. When they see up-to-10yrs-in-prison for extortion in Georgia, see what happens.

[@VioletPersuasion]

The only time criminal charges are made is when a (usually corrupted) city, state, or national attorney makes the charges. And since most of these scu-mm-y people are in-bedded together, it's rare when you see one official go after another. He can't just hire an attorney and press criminal charges, unfortunately.

[@fertilerevitilizer7833]

Lawyers don't bring criminal charges, only the DA does.

[@NoToBigBro]

@@fertilerevitilizer7833 In a civil claim, a lawyer does have the legal right to present criminal charges against the opposing party if the crime is related to the civil case.

[@solidmoon8266]

Watershed needs to be held criminally accountable for such a blatant attempt of extortion. They already admitted that the cause of the water leak was from one of their own properties. Whoever is trying to stick him with that bill is trying to cover up a bigger problem, garunteed.

[@alvallac2171]

*guaranteed

[@jefferydraper4019]

or its a shakedown.

[@pablohassan6897]

I'd like to see the evidence of Watershed readings, surely they have pictures? Log books? First thing I'd do is take a photo of the actual meter the day it was installed, then take a weekly photo. And if the Watershed admitted there was a leak, then where was the water going? Cause no one saw any evidence of leaking water. If the leak was before the meter, then how do the Watershed know how much water went missing. The Watershed are pure criminals plain and simple.

[@lylecampbell9036]

​@alvallac2171 no one asked you to correct spelling. Nazi

[@jefferydraper4019]

@@williamshelton4318 why continue to bill him for 30k even after admitting their mistake? Is he a prominent builder? Is he competing with a relative of one of them? So much thats not coming out from the board.

[@staciecannon6834]

What a shame!!! Sounds like the thief is the water board. That bill is enough to break the bank. That is not legal. PERIOD!!! They need to be investigated!

[@NotfromDetroit]

I think the board is getting a cut!

[@Allangulon]

They are simply incompetent in my opinion and unwilling to admit an error on their part. I guess using the political system is the only hope, run for office.

[@JonesCrimson]

To be clear, the water hasn't been stolen. There was no usage or spills around the installed meter, according to the water company who sent an investigator. It isn't missing, they just have inaccurate charges to the developer. Since it went back to normal after hookup, that probably means it was an automatic billing error. Maybe his location had a NULL value and that resulted in him being billed for every field left blank in the entire system?

[@Allangulon]

@@JonesCrimson I think they used an old meter they claimed had been reset but hadn't.

[@NotfromDetroit]

@@JonesCrimson The developer got a revised bill of $219 & the said he was still responsible for the $30k bill. To me the board is useless!

[@TrunkMonkey42]

How do we get rid of this garbage where people in government claim you're not allowed to sue them? Unconstitutional?

[@Jesuslovemethisiknow100]

This is terrible. I don’t know why court would side with the water shed company. This is corruption beyond words!!!

[@deadlyta]

Who pays the court

[@JustaGuy_Gaming]

Because the water company is basically owned by the Government in many cases, their needs are the Govt needs. Some one has to pay for that massive leak of water and the City doesn't want to do it.

[@SP30305ATL]

@8gjames Then listen again around 6:10

[@DT-abcd]

Government always sides with Government

[@jeffder7143]

​@@deadlytaour stupid tax dollars

[@LeeSmith-f4f]

They are the ones robbing you. They should be ashamed of their highway robbery.

[@fabianortiz1712]

Do they seem ashamed? I don’t think so

[@bubbajones4522]

Feel free to ask the Atlanta city bureaucrat behind this bill Nick Cappon ([e-mail]) what's going on.

[@evonnechi7029]

The water board is likely involved in some kind of criminal activity with the water and they are intentionally moving the bill to that property to cover up their activity. Those board members know full well that this family is totally innocent, but they are using their so-called "authority" to make them pay the bill. Not only do they need to sue them in Superior Court for fraud, but they need to go after each board member personally too.

[@Wendy_O._Koopa]

To think that if they weren't so greedy and/or stupid, and had charged 30,000 people $1 extra, nobody would have ever noticed, and they would have gotten away scot-free.

[@amandahugenkiss]

@@Wendy_O._Koopa They still got away with it. Don't think for a second there will be consequences for them. They're sleeping babies I can assure you.

[@lisasteel6817]

Some forensic accounting needs to be ordered.

[@iainballas]

@@lisasteel6817 Sure, sure. The government will send one of their own out. "We have done an exhaustive internal investigation, and cleared ourselves of any wrongdoing."

[@dannydaw59]

The fox is guarding the henhouse.

[@matthewwright7065]

I used to live 40 miles from Atlanta for 2 years, I got the hell out of there. I don't know about the rest of Georgia but I do know that the area I was in is absolutely corrupt.

[@courtneyb6154]

FIRED. Every last one of them for, not only for incompetence but stupidity as well. Authority and ignorance never mix together quite right.

[@Calallenbrian84]

Arrested, not fired. They are blatantly committing fraud.

[@Groundzer084]

It's a public municipality, job qualifications or performance do not matter. Cases like this always stand as reminders for those who would gaslight us into thinking governments need more control.

[@tbirdboy]

I've been Water Operations for close to 10 years. 300k gals is a lot of flow to just appear. If theft is the reason law enforcement should be involved. Two other lines of thought. Gross incompetence or criminal corruption should addressed as well.

[@nickwinn]

Sue them in federal court for extortion and fraud.

[@Ddccpp2152]

The only unscrupulous people are on that board!! Corrupt to the bone

[@bobbyk6761]

Thats why they all wear face masks.

[@BenotmaneMohamed-kb5oe]

For my entire existence I thought this kind of problems happen only in my country but when I watched this video I realized that it's a UNIVERSAL issue!

[@WristwatchAddiction]

“You can’t sue us”. I would 1000% call that bluff!

[@topdawg2003]

Someone from the water company needs to see jail time for fraud. This is unacceptable behavior.

[@georgewilson9121]

its time to seperate from the atlanta tax ditrict

[@georgewilson9121]

district

[@muffinthesoulstealer]

Unbelievable. The City owes this man and the prospective house buyer significant damages in addition to waiving his bill. How is the board able to operate this way, what an embarrassment for Atlanta...

[@MimiMcWil]

It’s like this all over, they know you have no other option because they are the one and only Utility Company!The epitome of “roses really smell like poopoopoo!!

[@dicky7600]

Ran by Democrats. No surprise there is corruption and incompetence

[@Outlander34]

They obviously gave themselves too much power with no oversight.

[@toserveman9265]

Reparations, equity and social justice

[@SpaceDust_97]

embarrassment for Atlanta? It's an embarrassment for humankind to do this sort of thing to anyone.

[@dingowingo7977]

This reminds me when my sister had a $12,000 electricity bill, it took them months to fight those charges and yes every month during the dispute it was another 12k. When they FINALLY admitted the meter was broken the bill was over 100k. I swear they must be doing this on purpose for tax write offs or something, i dont understand how a 10,000% increase doesnt set off red flags in their own systems.

[@Rust_Rust_Rust]

They don't care as long as they get their money.

[@Wendy_O._Koopa]

How do you know someone isn't sneaking in at night and stealing a Hoover Dam's worth of electricity, then tiptoeing away without being seen? /s

[@MarkkuS]

Especially as the power line propably doesn't support such a high power draw.

[@ericberry7313]

Guarantee if it was their home that they’d be looking into it and getting it fixed immediately. But when it’s someone else’s property and money, then it be put on the back burner for months at a time

[@boulderbash19700209]

Why would they? They are a monopoly. You either have to pay or pound sand.

[@paulsylvester1394]

Why is this allowed to take place? Why aren’t people fired? What is the mayor doing? What is the governor doing or the attorney general? This persecution is not clerical, it is criminal! Do the math! What size pipe fed the meter? 1”? 21 gallons per minute! At 100,000 gallons a week, it would take 12 hours to fill a 10,000 gallon truck! Every day! 7 days a week!

[@brainimplants]

The bill says it is a 3/4" line. its just not possible

[@davidcolwell614]

How much would it cost to rent the trucks? Probably fifty thousand dollars.

[@dlengelkes]

This state is run by a Republican Gov and Republican DA, I don't think Gov. Kemp even cares but I could be wrong.

[@SeptonFi]

"Why? What? Who? Whoooo! Whaaa!" Seriously, have some dignity and pick up a club and some local members to go to this company's office. Pick a board member that you see outside for making an example. Demonstrate to them as to why extorting people and bribing the court judge to win is not good for a healthy society. Continue daily until you see a "change". That's the language these people understand.

[@ab12345cdf]

@@SeptonFi You talk big but you don't do it yourself either.

[@ICGvids]

The board is right, this is theft. They stole 30k from that guy.

[@thefisherking78]

As a landlord, I've been stuck with delinquent utility bills for departed tenants many times. They just tell me someone has to pay the balance or they'll never turn services on again. Even after being told that I could get relief if I provided documentation of the lease, they have never gone back on it once. I've had meters broken to steal both electrical and water from vacant units, and again they forced me to pay for stolen services on top of the repairs. It's ridiculous.

[@jasonlucia6682]

I had this happen to me as a renter.

[@jackpot2869]

It's disgusting how that water company is treating that man! I hope he gets the justice he deserves!

[@lilmike2710]

It probably has to do with his skin color. Sorry not sorry

[@ryv2484]

This is the stuff you’d only expect to see in china. Repugnant.

[@terryjoy5660]

@@lilmike2710😂 sadly but true. Because you saw the color sitting on the panel that probably gave all themselves a nice raise.

[@Sulfen]

Water utilities are almost always ran by the city. And local governments are really bad at running things and it's very difficult to sue them although it is possible especially if you're able to take it up to a higher court not one where the judges know all of the city politicians.

[@lilmike2710]

@@terryjoy5660 I mean, just sayin.

[@BadMomentum]

This is the same city which has at least twice - that I know of - mistakenly demolished the wrong house without checking to see if it's occupied (luckily both owners were out at the time). Then charged the owner for the demolition, refused to compensate and then issued citations for not clearing the rubble. Neither case has been resolved.

[@mr.puddles5246]

Somebody needs to learn something then. Somebody will lose patience eventually.

[@ajabee2957]

I guess Atlanta is off the list to live

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

I heard about those cases. It's like the city is wild with corruption and pay-offs. They never seem to back down, even when it's absolutely obvious that they are in the wrong. Their actions are truly criminal.

[@BigDrewski1000]

He absolutely now needs to take it to superior court, and regardless of what water management claims, he absolutely CAN file a lawsuit against them.

[@LindaAllen-g4z]

What they are doing is criminal and they need to be stopped ASAP. This is sickening behavior. I would go after them in court and take their money.

[@howarddowner4507]

How are you going to win an appeal when the appeal board and the water company are working together. That's why justice is just an illusion.

[@LatitudeSky]

Having worked with the Watershed staff, I can 100% believe and understand how something this stupid can happen. This is one reason I will not reside in an area where they are the water service. It's that bad.

[@rupe53]

Ummm, how do you know it's bad till you live there long enough to find out?

[@shmockette7158]

​@@rupe53Cuz he has to directly deal with them...

[@rupe53]

@@shmockette7158 I'd be curious to hear their reason rather than conjecture.

[@shmockette7158]

​@@rupe53​IDK, its not like the guy literally opened with "I had to work with the watershed staff"

[@jaydee4177]

Rupe53 is probably on the watershed board haha

[@kansascitybob2430]

Tell me your government department is totally incompetent without telling me your government department is t totally incompetent 🤦

[@VioletPersuasion]

These people aren't incompetent, it's willful abuse of power. They are competent enough to know how to screw all their neighbors over.

[@Skow8333]

This doesn't look like incompetence. This looks like corruption to me.

[@LivinRentFreeInUrHead]

Naw they kno exactly what they are doing.

[@anonthehousemouse]

I would use "corrupt" not "incompetent"

[@bentonrp]

This is precisely why we have guns.

[@painandsuffer]

Because when rain hits the property, it becomes the Water Company rain.🤣

[@litigioussociety4249]

I heard about this. The fact that there's a golf course next door makes me think it was their usage, and they don't want to pay it, or even worse a board member conspired with the course to offset the charges somewhere else, and it was meant to be divided over hundreds of properties. No one would notice a 9 dollar charge, but instead a 9000 dollar charge went to one person, the one that makes no sense, and now whoever is behind it has to push this narrative to protect the deception.

[@carolynt.4455]

The moment I heard “golf course” I suspected they’re involved. Surprising no reporter looked into that.

[@johnpatrickmatthewsmusic]

Same here, a golf course could use a million gallons and not blink

[@watchmakingman9342]

That's good intuition. I thought about that briefly but have no idea how much water a golf course uses.

[@Eidako]

@@watchmakingman9342 A golf course uses up to 4 acrefeet annually, which is roughly 1,303,000 gallons. Courses in the southeast average 2.4 acrefeet (782,000 gallons). [edit: corrected numbers]

[@Mark_Agamotto1313_Smith]

@@Eidako That comes to 62,800,000,000 a month! At .027/gal (that's what I pay) that comes to $1,695,600,000. I can see a golf course wanting to "Divert" some of the cost. It is very wrong, but does make sense.

[@Jolly_Green23]

I hope this goes to court and gains the attention of the proper people. A neighboring town of mine here in NC was sending outrageous water bills to customers, and the SBI (State Bureau of Investigation) opened an investigation into that cities water department. They ended up arresting several city employees for corruption and embezzlement.

[@Watchoutforsnakez]

Nailed it.

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

That's exactly what I think is happening here.

[@CentreMetre]

Actual arrests? That's rare, but welcome

[@emilyh8115]

Last year, we moved out of our house so I canceled the water. Then I got a huge bill months after moving out. I called the water company and told them I had already canceled and didn't even live there anymore. Luckily, they immediately canceled the bill. I had no idea this kind of stuff even went on with utility companies.

[@talyahr3302]

As a fellow NC resident, happy to hear there was accountability.

[@G6JPG]

They're accusing him of theft. Presumably he could sue them for slander/libel, damage to reputation, consequent damages (credit rating, unable to get loans, etc.).

[@lw4820]

Where would the damages be for a libel/slander claim exactly? It's not like the utility went about publicizing their past due bill in any way that caused the business any damages.

[@G6JPG]

@@lw4820 I don't know US (or UK for that matter) law: does someone have to have made attempts to publicise a libel/slander for it to be actionable? I can see that if they _did_ it would make any damages _worse_, but is not the simple fact enough to start with? Also: credit rating. Presumably, if someone has a bad debt (or it is alleged that is the case), it can affect their credit rating, which could make it more difficult or expensive foer them to get loans - culminating at worst in them being unable to operate, and thus go out of business. Surely _that_ (and consequent distress) would be actionable, if the original claimed bad debt is shown to be non-existent.

[@yamisniper]

@@G6JPG yep send it to collections you will get hit on your credit report

[@ForageGardener]

​@lw4820 all one has to do to prove libel is establish that someone published something false about you. The potential economic damages are simply obviously implied.

[@johnperry5550]

@@ForageGardenerThat’s not true at all? You have to prove financial damages from the libel. That’s how it’s always worked.

[@moonman239]

DO you want to hear from my lawyer? Because this is how you hear from my lawyer.

[@blackbrass4371]

The fact that the legal team regected the adjustment shows how deep the incompetence runs.

[@adultonsetwoodworking]

you spelled corruption wrong...

[@thebigdog2295]

​@@adultonsetwoodworking you beat me to it.

[@John-fd4lv]

​@@adultonsetwoodworkinggovernment said the spelling is correct.

[@lukesworkout2232]

It isn't incompetence, it's theft.

[@WhispersFromTheDark]

It's organized crime apparently.

[@jacobkeeney7971]

Everyone involved in this decision and the company making false accusations should go to prison.

[@BayuAH]

Yeah, indeed. Like everybody says, he should go to actual court and also sue them for defamation and stress. It seems he just too nice somehow.

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

I know there are high levels on incompetence all around us, but I can't help but think these board members are getting well paid for their terrible decisions. It's absolutely criminal.

[@lisamarie58103]

My thoughts exactly

[@houstonjoker3836]

Is it just hitting you now?

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

@@houstonjoker3836 - Well, it would be difficult to figure it out BEFORE I watched the video. But if you did, more power to you!

[@welshgit]

Theiir arrogance reminded me of the recent UK "Post Office Horizon" scandal. Software errors cause post office employees to be charged for things they didn't owe, and many were jailed. Some commited suicide. The bug was discovered, but the post office covered it up, and kept prosecuting. They even tampered with witness statements and had people jailed they knew were innocent, just to save their jobs. They had equally unsympathetic review boards and people accusing them of theft. Shocking story. Worth looking up.

[@GlidingBoulder]

probably all splitting and pocketing that 30,000. It is funny because I have more evidence they stole $30,000 than they have evidence of a million gallons being stolen.

[@conanjam]

That is beyond ridiculous of 30,000 being charged to a empty lot whoever the in charge looks like it's nobody because they keep on trying to charge him

[@iamdenislara]

Either the meter is broken or the golf course has an illegal hook up

[@OverlyCriticalAnime]

Even I dont see them using that much water.

[@teejay3250]

That connection literally could not not supply that amount of water in a weekend. It takes days to fill a single pool with a residential faucet.

[@Sypherz]

I accidentally left my water running for 24 hours because I forgot I was watering a tree. Cost me around an extra $50 on my bill. You are right. There is no way that much water was coming out of that meter over that period of time.

[@mattanderson4339]

Sue them, a reasonable judge would find this case ridiculous and handle the water treatment plant. Stop the appeals and sue them. They even sent you a letter saying they messed up.

[@IndyandJazmin]

They're indemnified from lawsuits, and that's the rub in these kinds of cases. We, the people, give these boards way too much power over US! It's totally ridiculous!!

[@kuiperrene]

​@indy8756 So they are above the law. No checks and balances other than the election? They operate at same level as the Supreme Court in Washington. Even the Supreme Court cannot touch that board?!? Talking about unconstitutional. 😅

[@BOBBOBBOBBOBBOBBOB69]

WTF who did that.@@IndyandJazmin

[@zerotheliger]

@@IndyandJazmin if they cant be held accountable then people will start holding them accountable them selves. people have limits.

[@markholub97]

If they deny your appeal, you can still take them to court.

[@damm41]

This isn’t extortion this fraud. Sue the individual members of the board for conspiracy to defraud a business. That should go outside qualified immunity. The home buyers should also probably try going after the water board too.

[@Maozedingdonger]

This is absolutely criminal. The news team should help him take this to court.

[@MrBesmir7]

Should company put in jail for blackmail 😢😢😢 they knew even physically it not possible

[@la7era1u54]

I bet they were getting the bill for the golf course across the street. Watering the course would use a lot of water

[@noahjkeely]

Stories like this usually end with guys building an armored Komatsu D355A

[@scootersfrog]

came looking for this comment

[@sandhanitizer15]

I'm all for it

[@Trailerkid209]

great im gonna have some 1 show up to my door cuz i had to look that up

[@lordhosk]

Except the city and surrounding properties offered multiple times to work with the killdozer guy, he kept backing out of the deals that would have paid him back 10 fold what his property was worth after agreeing to them.

[@joem4418]

Mines already halfway done

[@randycook4364]

If that is a standard 3/4" line. How long would it take to get that much water out of it?

[@cloudsn]

It's insane to have to appeal to the same people who sent the bill. That would be like if you got arrested for theft, and the judge in court was your arresting officer. What do you think the ruling would be?

[@billydoyle9984]

Yes. That violates. Due Process. Requisite of. Impartiality.

[@MatthewBaran]

Cops investigate cops. Seems dumb but...no it's dumb. Very dumb

[@steelasura]

Or like a company having production and quality control under the same manager. They would always make their numbers

[@JeffDeWitt]

The EPA and numerous other federal agencies have their own courts, and being that those courts rule for the agency over 90% of the time they are notoriously corrupt. So it's hardly surprising that a water board in Atlanta wouldn't pull the same stunt.