Sewer surcharges left off bills, costing Quincy up to $30K

QUINCY, Ill. (AP) - Officials in the western Illinois city of Quincy say they've discovered some big customers have been under-billed for sewer services.

The Quincy Herald-Whig reports (http://bit.ly/1LaDZCg) financial losses to the city may total up to $30,000. Quincy's director of utilities and engineering, Jeffrey Conte, says a computer glitch resulted in surcharges not being added to some sewer bills.

The surcharges are intended for accounts that contribute higher amounts of waste flowing into the system.

Corporate customers such as Blessing Hospital and Prairie Farms Dairy were under-billed. A few other accounts also may have been improperly billed and the problem may have started more than a year ago.

Alderman Paul Havermale says he's surprised the utilities department didn't notice the problem earlier.

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Information from: The Quincy Herald-Whig, http://www.whig.com