Hollins said the new garbage fee is part of the city\u2019s recently approved budget and represents a shift from the way residents historically paid for services such as trash collection.<\/p>\n
\u201cUp until this year, your property tax bill, when you paid it, or, you know, if you\u2019re a renter, the property tax bill that your landlord paid, it covered all city services that you\u2019re used to getting,\u201d Hollins said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s now changed in the budget that passed back in June. The mayor instituted a garbage fee for the first time in Houston\u2019s history. Right now, it\u2019s $5 a month, which of course you know is $60 a year, but it\u2019s going to go up and up and up.\u201d<\/p>\n
FIRST, DETERMINE WHY YOUR BILL WENT UP:<\/p>\n
If a water bill suddenly increases, Hollins said residents should compare their current usage with previous months before assuming there is a billing error.<\/p>\n
A water bill shows how many gallons were used during the current billing period as well as previous usage. A significant jump can be an early warning sign of a leak.<\/p>\n
Residents should also look at the rates and fees listed on the bill.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to kind of figure out: Is this just because my water rate went up and the garbage fee got added on, or do I have a leak? Am I being charged for increased usage?\u201d Hollins said.<\/p>\n
The distinction matters. A higher rate or new fee is different from being charged for hundreds of dollars in water that a household did not actually use.<\/p>\n
HOW TO CHECK FOR A POSSIBLE LEAK:<\/p>\n
Hollins offered a simple first step for homeowners who see unusually high usage: Turn off all the water inside the house. That means making sure faucets are off and appliances such as dishwashers are not running.<\/p>\n
Then, check the home\u2019s water meter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf that water meter is still spinning, even though the water is off, that means it\u2019s registering some kind of leak somewhere,\u201d Hollins said.<\/p>\n
Residents can then walk around the property looking for visible signs of water, including pooling water or unexplained puddles.<\/p>\n
Hollins said residents should also check near the curb. Standing water on a dry, sunny day could be a sign that water is escaping somewhere it should not.<\/p>\n
WHAT TO DOCUMENT BEFORE CALLING THE CITY:<\/p>\n
If the problem is not obvious, residents should document what they are seeing before contacting the city.<\/p>\n
Take photos or videos of:<\/p>\n
The water meter and its reading.<\/p>\n
Any visible pooling water or suspected leak.<\/p>\n
The area around the property and curb if unexplained water is present.<\/p>\n
The current water bill.<\/p>\n
Previous bills showing normal usage.<\/p>\n
Any unusual jump in gallons used or charges.<\/p>\n
That information can help establish what has changed and give the city more information when investigating the problem.<\/p>\n
If there is no visible leak but the meter appears to be registering water when everything is turned off, Hollins said residents should contact 311.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to call 311 and say, hey, there seems to be something wrong with the meter itself,\u201d Hollins said. \u201cIt seems like it\u2019s not reading the water usage accurately, or something\u2019s wrong with it. So, can someone come out and test this for us?\u201d<\/p>\n
Residents can also ask whether the city can conduct another meter reading or check whether the meter is functioning properly.<\/p>\n
DON\u2019T IGNORE THE BILL WHILE A DISPUTE IS PENDING:<\/p>\n
One of the most important pieces of advice from Hollins is not to simply stop paying the bill while a billing dispute is being investigated.<\/p>\n
Instead, he recommended continuing to pay the amount a household normally pays while working with the city to resolve the disputed portion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re in the middle of a dispute, right? If you\u2019re waiting on them to come and check these water meters or get this situation figured out, pay your normal water bill,\u201d Hollins said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you normally pay $30 or $50, make sure you send that in, and then wait for the dispute to play itself out, and then figure out what you\u2019re on the hook for, if anything, at the end of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The goal, he said, is to avoid allowing an unresolved dispute to become a much larger balance.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t want to sit there and pay nothing for six months, and now even if they resolve it in your favor, you still owe much more money than you\u2019re used to paying, and you find yourself, in a tough spot,\u201d Hollins said.<\/p>\n
CAN\u2019T AFFORD THE BILL? ASK ABOUT A PAYMENT PLAN:<\/p>\n
For households struggling to pay their water bill, Hollins said the answer is to contact the city rather than allow unpaid bills to accumulate.<\/p>\n
\u201cReach out to the city and ask to be put on a payment plan,\u201d Hollins said.<\/p>\n
He encouraged residents to explain their circumstances and make clear that they want to resolve the balance.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t just disappear and have those bills pile up,\u201d Hollins said. \u201cReach out to 311. Say, look, I want to pay my bill. I want to make sure that I\u2019m in good standing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Residents facing financial hardship should ask what payment arrangements or other options may be available for their account.<\/p>\n
DON\u2019T LET AUTOPAY REPLACE CHECKING YOUR BILL:<\/p>\n
Autopay can help prevent a missed payment, but Hollins said residents should still review every bill.<\/p>\n
\u201cAuto pay is good because it makes sure that your bill gets paid,\u201d he said. \u201cBut sometimes, if you have that set up and you\u2019re not looking at it, you\u2019ll realize three, four, five months later that you got charged some enormous amount.\u201d<\/p>\n
His recommendation: Make checking the bill part of the monthly routine.<\/p>\n
Look for three things:<\/p>\n
Water usage: Is your current usage dramatically higher than previous months?<\/p>\n
Rates and fees: Are you seeing new or increased charges?<\/p>\n
Unexpected changes: Does anything on the bill look inconsistent with your household\u2019s normal usage?<\/p>\n
A monthly review can make it easier to catch a leak or billing issue before it turns into a much larger balance.<\/p>\n
A SIMPLE CHECKLIST FOR HOUSTON HOUSEHOLDS:<\/p>\n
If your water bill suddenly rises, Hollins\u2019 advice can be boiled down to a few steps:<\/p>\n
Check the bill. Compare current gallons used with previous months and review the charges.<\/p>\n
Check the meter. Turn off all water in the house and see whether the meter continues registering usage.<\/p>\n
Check the property. Look for unexplained puddles, pooling water or water near the curb.<\/p>\n
Document the problem. Take photos, save bills and record unusual meter readings.<\/p>\n
Contact 311. Ask about a possible leak, inaccurate meter reading or other billing issue.<\/p>\n
Keep paying what you normally can. Don\u2019t allow the entire balance to accumulate while a dispute is pending.<\/p>\n
Ask about payment options. If you cannot afford the bill, contact the city and ask whether a payment plan or adjustment is available.<\/p>\n
Keep checking your bills. Even with autopay, review each statement so an unusual charge does not go unnoticed for months.<\/p>\n
For Houston residents dealing with rising household expenses, Hollins said understanding the bill is one of the simplest ways to avoid being caught off guard.<\/p>\n
\u201cCheck that bill when it comes, and you\u2019ll be able to see: Is it charging me for usage that\u2019s triple last month, even though you know I\u2019ve been using the water like normal?\u201d Hollins said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if so, that gives you the opportunity to make that phone call to 311 and get the situation resolved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Start Here, Houston![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790665470_571_kprc_news2know.webp\")
<\/p>\n
More Stories Like This In Our Email Newsletter<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 Houston residents facing higher water bills have another reason to take a close look at their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":450886,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[5548,63008,3766,18830,918,56,58,57,2349,107323,98234,36859],"class_list":["post-450885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-chris-hollins","tag-city-controller","tag-city-of-houston","tag-cost-of-living","tag-economy","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-money","tag-trash-fee","tag-utility-bills","tag-water-bills"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=450885"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450885\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/450886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=450885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=450885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=450885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}