SHEFFIELD LAKE — When the Gaspar family received its June water and sewer bill in the mail, they thought they’d soon be drowning in red ink.
Sheffield Lake residents Joseph and Stephanie Gaspar show their water bill, which added up to $48,955.33. They’re smiling because the city has resolved the error. (CT photo by Bruce Bishop.)
“I called my husband as soon as I saw it and asked him if he thought we could have a bad leak somewhere,” Stephanie Gaspar said. “When he heard the amount, he said we would have had a sinkhole.”
The couple, who reside on West Shore Boulevard with their two children, were initially shocked to see a June bill totaling $48,955. The amount rose to an even more eyeball-bulging $55,829 if they dawdled and didn’t pay up till after the July 15 due date.
After the shock wore off, they figured it was a simple error, which it was.
“The machine simply added an extra digit,” Len Smith, Sheffield Lake’s service director said in explaining how the household’s typical monthly bill of approximately $100 rocketed into utility heaven.
The family wasn’t exactly sure how much water they typically use, but knew they hadn’t had any overflowing sinks, toilets or garden hoses left on.
“I posted in on Facebook and was getting back the usual ribbing,” Stephanie Gaspar said. “There were things like, ‘You must have got the village’s bill, too,’ or ‘You gotta stop taking those long showers.’ ”
A nursing student, Stephanie grew up in Cleveland but has lived in Sheffield Lake for years. The family moved into their West Shore Boulevard home from another address in town about three years ago.
Joseph works as a supervisor for Time Warner Cable. The couple’s two children, Emily 15, and Jake, 13, also were amused by the monstrous bill.
“That’s probably what Kalahari’s bill is a month,” Jake said.
The $48,955 figure included $33,851 for sewer charges, and $14,858 for water usage.
Once the bill was recalculated, it showed a much more manageable balance of $70.46, according to Smith.
The city Service Department realized the error about as quickly as the Gaspars did and sent a brief letter of apology that arrived Wednesday, a day after the city heard from the bemused household.
“Naturally we’re sorry for the error, and let them know that it was a miscalculation,” Smith said. “Our girls are really good at what they do.”
Contact Steve Fogarty at 329-7146 or sfogarty@chroniclet.com.
