XENIA — Greene County water and sewer customers will receive credit on their September bill for any over-payment they made after receiving a bill in August that included three months’ worth of service usage.

Bills were mailed out to customers Aug. 2, combining usage from June, July and August. The bills were not only three times the amount as a normal one-month bill — but were even higher for some, due to estimated charges.

In an Aug. 10 letter addressed to Greene County water and sewer customers, Director of Sanitary Engineering Ronald Volkerding and County Administrator Brandon Huddleson addressed the problem and apologized to customers.

The officials cited unexpected problems with a new Sanitary Engineering Department computer billing program as cause for the delay in the issuance of bills.

“This left us no choice other than to issue a bill that included one month of actual charges and two months of estimated charges. The estimated usage, in many cases, is higher than it should be due to the lack of historical data to be used in the calculation,” the letter reads.

According to the officials, the problem is being rectified with the August meter readings, which are currently underway. The actual reading for August will recalculate the July and August estimates for the upcoming bill.

Customers can expect a September bill to contain credit for any over-payment due to too-high estimates. If customers were given low estimates, they will be charged for the difference. The bill will be mailed the first week of September, including all unpaid balances due plus current charges.

Late penalties and service disconnections have been suspended until the issues are completely resolved. The department is also offering customers the option to pay the balance over several months. Interested persons or customers with additional questions about their bill can contact the billing group at [email protected] or call 937-562-7457.

Customers can also report billing concerns on the Sanitary Engineering Department website, which posted a message July 17 regarding the problems.