A Piece From Indy Weekly.Com

Re: “Durham County candidates”

Current City Council Not Helping

Non-Credible Water Bills

I have been saddled with water bills that are not credible. The current city council has yet to intervene on my behalf. I am hoping that if my new meter continues to demonstrate my previous one was erroneous that the council may eventually compel the water department to refund some of our overcharges. Here is a small article on the matter:

I have been at my address for 6 years and our water bills must be inaccurate. There are 2 adults and 2 young girls here. We don't water the lawns and use bottled water for cooking and drinking. Despite this our water bills are excessive. 3 times in the past 6 years we got bills that claimed we used 4500 cubic feet of water. The last time was a few months ago and the bill was for over $700.00! During better months we are billed $200-300.00. It's almost like paying a second housing rent some months.
My neighbors report to me that their bills are usually a little over $100.00. I had Al Nelson from the Durham water conservation department look into it. He had our meter changed, then had it upgraded to an electronic meter to track usage better. He could find no leaks and no real explanation but says something isn't right. He says our usage is showing 6 times what is average for a family of our size--it's not like we are running a bottled water business out of our kitchen. He said billing should have got him involved a long time ago but he's stumped.

I was further upset after doing the math. They are claiming we used 4500+ cubic feet, that's 33,000 gallons in 61 days. That's 563 gallons every day! That would mean we were using 23+ gallons of water every hour, every day, for 2 months.

This is ridiculous.The bureaucracy here is a barrier to justice and fair treatment. No NC state senators or representatives have acknowledged my complaints. The billing department acts like we're just whining about our bill, the County Commissioners ignored my phone call and subsequent email, and the city manager Tom Bonfield referred me back to the water department. I feel sure that either our fitting have been incorrect or our meter has been malfunctioning. Either way we don't use hundreds of gallons of water daily, Durham doesn't care, and we've been overcharged by thousands over the past six years. This issue is widespread according to the news (including Atlanta, Charlotte and Philadelphia) and it is wrong that there is no oversight agency that can check for inaccuracies--if something is awry with a bill you typically have no recourse.

If anyone else in Durham is experiencing inflated usage claims please post a comment or email us at otto.ladensack.us@member.mensa.org .

Thanks, Otto

(The original page above, with working links, is at: http://ottoladensack.blogspot.com/2011/02/…)

Here are video links that further explain my situation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmFhYF4SRek
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5avlIF3bt94
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXRTUvn_txk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY_tcfZnA7E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH6vjCAkoVs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u56qq_C_hUw

The 3rd, 5th and 6th clip are most telling but all are concise. Thank you for considering my situation.

Posted by Otto.Ladensack on October 8, 2011 at 10:10 PM

Something is Wrong with National Heritage Academy Charter Schools

Not all charter schools in Durham are worth pursuing.

NHA schools have a national reputation that stinks. They are money-focused, cramming 30 kids into a classroom and spending a whole quarter each year on EOGs. They typically have bullying issues and complaints to their corporate office about individual schools go unheard. Research these schools intently and the information out there will bear this out. Please do not put your children in one of these places--they have long wait lists and often do not care about individuals.

Otto and Patricia Ladensack

PS - Linda Conlisk you are a terrible "parent-liasion" unless the term is meant to denote the person who deflects parents with valid concerns; thanks for doing nothing when my child was being bullied. You should be ashamed of yourself. All you did in your role was allow sadness and abuse to be continued and from what we've heard from parents around the country this is business-as-usual for you. As a parent-liaison you are incompetent. If anyone is interested in telling Linda Conlisk why it is important to stop bullying when that's your job, she can be reached at: lconlisk@heritageacademies.com or through this number: 877-223-6402​.

If you don't like your public schools consider home-schooling before utilizing a National Heritage Academies' School. We had resolved to do so if needed and learned that one-on-one schooling is not terribly time consuming and does not involve trusting self-involved strangers to do the right thing.

Thanks,
Otto and Patricia Ladensack
otto.ladensack.us@member.mensa.org
919-349-7720

Controlled But Not Represented

I tried to vote in today's election but am not able to. Apparently county residents cannot vote for city council members--including the mayor. This seems wrong because if there is an issue with the water department or some other city function, like the one I am currently having, the people I am supposed to be able to rely on do not answer to me at all. I believe that if I was a city resident the council would still be indifferent toward my inaccurate bills but at least I could use my 1 vote toward ousting the incumbents whereas us county residents do not need to matter at all. Everyone affected by city services should have representation--even if that representation is poor.

If you live outside the city limits your elected officials don't need you or your approval--how's that for a smack in the face!

(Picture credit: maycolonb.wordpress.com)