# City Council Hearing:Oversight for the Office of Water Advocacy & Customer Appeals; October 28, 2026

Baltimore City Council oversight committee hearing on the Office of Water Advocacy and Customer Appeals (WACA), October 28, 2026. The committee approved the prior meeting’s minutes. WACA reported 565 cases received through August 31, with 250 awaiting assignment, 208 in progress, and 236 completed; members raised concerns about the backlog, long-running cases, staffing, and the office’s independence from DPW. DPW said it would provide a written position within five business days on legislation making WACA independent with final authority over billing disputes, and the legal basis for the director’s authority within ten business days. Other follow-ups included a reconciled report on WACA–CSSD information-request timelines within ten business days, a written plan to reduce Water for All denials caused by communication gaps within 34 days, and a status report on 92 WACA recommendations by year-end. A member also requested monthly Water for All automatic-enrollment updates beginning January 15 and ongoing engagement on affordability-program changes.

Procurement and technology discussions included WACA’s selection of a preferred case-management software solution after reviewing four or five platforms; the office said it is proceeding through procurement to purchase working licenses. The software is intended to support case-stage tracking, metrics, and access to an AI tool for retrieving applicable laws, regulations, and prior determinations; no vendor or cost was identified. DPW and WACA also discussed scoping a platform for Water for All automatic enrollment, including a data-sharing agreement with Maryland and potential BCIT development resources, with costs still to be determined. No contract award or spending vote occurred, and the committee did not approve a budget allocation.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Information Technology, Energy & Utilities
**Topics:** Digital Infrastructure, Artificial Intelligence
**Published:** October 28, 2026

### Sources
- [City Council Hearing:Oversight for the Office of Water Advocacy & Customer Appeals; October 28, 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4UR2xifnZA) - CharmTV Citizens' Hub