As the local news points out in one Ohio town, “there was not a vast increase in baptisms, nor an excessive increase in the amount of tea consumed in the rectory.” And yet, a church in that town received a bill for $93,000 worth of water — in just one month. From the sound of it, the congregation is taking it all in stride and even having some fun with it.

 

“We must have used $93,000 in holy water,” the church’s monsignor told his flock yesterday, reports Vindy.com.

The church isn’t alone, either — many businesses and residents alike have been receiving erroneous readings as the result of a “software” error on the city’s new wireless meters.

“It’s growing pains,” said the city’s director of public services, noting that the old manual readers are going the way of the dinosaur, but not without a few kinks that still need to be worked out in the transition process.

A local hair salon received a bill of $11,681, while another resident was overheard asking about a $200 bill at the water department offices. After looking into the salon’s reading, the department found the business actually didn’t owe a dime.

The city will be replacing all 5,600 meters to make reading easier — and, it’s to be hoped, those problems will be eliminated somewhere in the process.

“The majority of people have been understanding,” said the public services official. “We do have the correct readings here, so we can recalculate it for them.”

Good thing, too, because we doubt a couple Sundays’ worth of collection plate funds could cover a $93,000 bill every month.

Girard water department bills church $93,000 [Vindy.com]

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