PLAQUEMINE - The City of Plaquemine says a number of incorrect utility bills were traced back to one meter reader and that meter reader is no longer with the city.

The city says the bills have been sorted out, but some utility customers who have reached out to 2 On Your Side say they're not so sure.

Page Tate says he had to make the tough choice of paying his utility bill over his rent, or be disconnected.

"I got a disconnect notice," Tate said.

The last three months, Tate's utility bill has averaged $400 a month. He says his electric usage doesn't reflect what's on his bill.

"Something is wrong with that, something is wrong," he said.

He paid his June bill and now he's short on rent. Tate says it's a choice he shouldn't have to make and thinks that he's being over charged.

Tate isn't the only one who has reached out to 2 On Your Side with concerns. Pat Huesmann says he's been fighting his utility bill battle for months and after his meter was replaced he's still having issues.

"Three months ago we got a $1,600 bill," Huesmann said.

There's more where that came from - Huesmann has received several four-figure bills and he's still waiting for his issue to be resolved.

"I don't know what they're doing, I wish we could get a reasonable answer," Huesmann said.

The City of Plaquemine has several job openings as it works through customer issues. The latest is a meter reader. The city is one short after they found several bills were incorrect because of readings by one meter reader. That employee is no longer with the city and the incorrect bills are being sorted out. The city says in most cases the issue has been corrected before payment.

Tate has already paid.

"After explaining what my situation is and not even trying to help me, that's what I'm angry about," Tate said.

The City of Plaquemine says it's not sure how many bills were affected by this one meter reader. There are four meter readers employed by the city. When a customer brings an issue to the city's attention, the issue is investigated and corrective action is taken if warranted. The city says it's currently sifting through about 300 applications for a Customer Service Director. Both the department director and the assistant director resigned their positions.

Some cases, like Huesmann's, will not be investigated until that position is filled. Mayor Ed Reeves says he hopes to have a new Customer Service Director hired in July.