The campaign for democratic gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore says the previously outstanding $21,000 water bill on Moore’s Baltimore home has been paid.
City records show the water bill at the home went unpaid for nearly a year and a half.
But some question if this was negligence on the behalf of a homeowner or if the City’s water infrastructure and management could be to blame.
“My gut tells me most of this is on the Baltimore City water authority and I think that they’re the ones who need to answer some questions about how does someone rake in a bill this high?” said political analyst John Dedie.
Moore told Sinclair sister station WJLA on Thursday that the bill has been paid.
"As soon as we found out about it, we no paid our bill and took care of it," Moore said. "We are going through the process right now of being able to, to, you know, check, check for accuracy on the billing."
Online real estate listings describe Moore’s Baltimore home as an 8,600-square-foot property with six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and a pool.
City records showed a balance of $21,200 for water usage at the home and the address had a looming "penalty date" of October 16, 2022.
Broken down across seventeen months, the size of Moore's bill alleges an average monthly use of more than $1,200 dollars’ worth of water.
“$21,000 dollars I mean no one’s using a thousand dollars a month of water,” said Dedie. “I mean it’s impossible.”
As of Thursday afternoon, Baltimore City's online records did not yet reflect Moore's balance paid in full.
FOX45 News has extensive documentation of city residents also complaining about excessive water bills.
"That’s why my pressure stays up,” said an elderly Baltimore woman in January. “Every time the mail man comes, I’m nervous. I don’t know what the bill is gonna be."
On Thursday morning, FOX45 News asked the Baltimore City Department of Public Works:
- At what point does DPW take action against delinquent bills?
- Were any delinquent payment notices sent to [Moore’s] address?
- Is DPW currently investigating to see if the water meter/water billing for [Moore’s] address is accurate?
None of those questions were answered by the City agency.