He filled a 5-gallon bucket. His meter shows he used 22 gallons of water. The Houston Public Works employee who came to his house to check the meter told him “I’m not with the accuracy department.”

A Houston water meter reported more than four times the water actually used. When the customer tried to find out who to speak with about the inaccurate meter, the city employee hung up. How you can make sure you’re not being charged for more water than you’re using.

A Houston-area woman says her $900 money order was stolen from the mail. She heard nothing about the investigation until after our story aired. The Postal Inspection Service (USPS) has since contacted her, while new complaints are widening the reporting beyond one case.

Houston’s new $5 trash fee is expected to raise about $25M a year. Public Works says solid waste currently costs roughly $137M. The fee is hitting water bills now, but the bigger funding problem is far from solved.

Parts of Greater Houston are still sinking, with some of the fastest subsidence around Katy. A transition away from groundwater has helped stabilize other areas, but it hasn’t reached every community yet.