Goyang City Faces Resident Backlash Over Bulk Sewer Fee Billing for Up to 3 Years
Goyang City in Gyeonggi Province is facing a strong backlash from residents after billing them for up to three years’ worth of sewer fees all at once.
The city confirmed late that some households had not been properly billed for sewer fees and initiated retroactive claims.
According to a report from Yonhap News on the 11th, Goyang City conducted a comprehensive investigation after confirming in March that some households had not been billed for sewer fees.
The investigation revealed that around 2,000 households had not been billed for sewer fees ranging from three to ten years.
Last month, Goyang City sent notices to the affected households, demanding payment for periods not exceeding the statute of limitations (three years). The total amount is approximately 2.7 billion KRW, with an average of 1.35 million KRW per household. Although the city informed residents that payments could be divided into up to 36 installments, the sudden large bills have led to significant resentment among residents.
The total amount is approximately 2.7 billion KRW, with an average of 1.35 million KRW per household confirmed.
Billing Controversy Due to Administrative Errors
The cause of the situation was revealed to be administrative errors by Goyang City.
A city official explained, "When public sewer pipes were installed, billing needed to be processed by inputting data by district; however, some districts were omitted during this process, leading to the lack of billing."
The official added, "Due to the current law lacking separate exemption provisions, we initially billed them, and legal reviews are ongoing regarding the possibility of exemptions." However, residents are protesting, arguing that it is unfair to pass the burden of administrative errors onto citizens.
Experts have pointed out the need to inspect local government administrative systems in relation to this incident. In particular, they emphasized the necessity of regular checks on public fee billing systems and immediate actions upon discovering errors.
Meanwhile, a similar issue occurred in 2019 in some areas of Seoul, where sewer fees were not billed, prompting the city to consider resident backlash and extend installment payment periods while implementing some exemptions.
It has been suggested that Goyang City also needs to collect residents' opinions to seek a reasonable solution.
Image source: Reference photo to aid understanding of the article / gettyimagesbank
