Diane Carli, an 82-year-old resident of Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood, is grappling with the stress of an astonishing $233,000 water bill that has left her in tears.
Carli, who has cherished memories associated with her family’s long-held home, expressed deep emotional anguish during a conversation with NBC 5 Responds.
‘They’re going to put me in my grave because I might look all, all ‘peaches and cream,’ but inside you’re killing me,’ she said, standing in front of the vacant house that holds generations of memories.
The home, which has remained in her family for decades, recently became a source of distress when Carli and her daughters sought to add their names to the property deed after the passing of her husband.
‘I have a boyhood picture of my dad and his mom looking out this window,’ her daughter, Lisa, recalled, gesturing towards a boarded-up window.
Carli’s attempt to update the deed led to an unexpected interaction with the Chicago water department.
She was informed that the property required an inspection before her daughters could be added to the deed.
During this inspection, Carli alleges that the water department installed a new meter without her prior knowledge or authorization.
According to Chicago plumbing code, any request for a new meter should come from the property owner, but Carli asserts she never submitted such a request.
A year after the new meter was installed, the shocking bill arrived at Carli’s primary residence.
‘I was shocked, but I thought it was a misprint,’ she remarked.
Until that point, the water bills had been sent to the vacant home, leading to months of inactivity and an alarming accumulation of charges.
Upon discovering the issue, the water department acknowledged potential problems with the newly installed meter and replaced it.
Following the meter replacement, Carli’s family reported that water consumption for the property dropped to zero.
Despite this, the City of Chicago maintained that the family still owed the entire $233,000, prompting the Carli family to dispute the bill.
In their search for resolution, they stumbled across another NBC 5 Responds segment that featured a family struggling with a $14,000 water bill.
This family received assistance from NBC Chicago, which advised reaching out to their local alderman for help.
The Carli family followed this advice and contacted Alderman Raymond Lopez to seek assistance in addressing their issue.
Ald. Lopez, after visiting the property, emphasized, ‘I’ve been inside the house. I see where the water service starts and stops and is capped inside the building. And if it’s been like that for the past two years, then there’s no way that this bill is legitimate.’
His astonishment at the city’s inaction regarding the bill was evident as he voiced concerns over the potential ramifications for Carli and her family.
‘Clearly there’s a mistake,’ Lopez stated, underlining the importance of rectifying the error.
He is now working to organize a site visit with officials from the city comptroller’s office and the water department.
Carli remains hopeful that the dispute can be resolved quickly to prevent the city from garnishing her pension as a former city employee, as well as the pensions of her two daughters, both retired Chicago police officers.
Ald. Lopez underscored the urgency of the situation, saying, ‘Their whole livelihood is about to be upended because the city’s making a mistake and unwilling to answer for it.’
As of the time of publication, NBC 5 Responds had reached out to the City of Chicago regarding the Carli family’s bill.
In response, the city stated it does not comment on individual customer accounts for privacy reasons, and a request for an interview with the water commissioner went unanswered.
image source from：nbcchicago
