Residents and businesses in Broussard who saw a spike in water usage as a result the winter weather will only have to pay half of the overage on their bill, the city council agreed this week.
Broussard Mayor Ray Bourque proposed at the city council meeting on Tuesday to credit 18 businesses and residents half of their "fairly high" water bills. Bourque said all 18 bills total to about $5,600.
"Things are tough enough as they are," Bourque said in the meeting. "People have had problems with the ice storm, among other things, and there are people that are asking us for any help they can get."
Bourque said the city is typically bound by rules that require a customer to pay a water leak when it occurs on the customer's side of the meter. However, the mayor was advised that during a time of emergency, such as the winter storm, the city has "extra authorities."
The city also has technologies in place that allows it to see specifically when a spike in water usage occurred; Bourque said the spikes in question did in fact happen during the ice storm. He also added that if the list of customers with high bills grows, he'll bring the proposal back to the council for reconsideration.
Council members voted unanimously to allow the mayor to act under emergency authorization.
Watch this week's city council meeting below:
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