The city of Bloomington has been incorrectly billing businesses for fire protection for nearly 10 years, resulting perhaps in the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue.
The current monthly rate, based on the diameter of the water line that serves a business's internal fire suppression system, is $27.20 per inch.
"Due to an oversight (the city) has been incorrectly billing $6.80 per inch for the fire protection charge," said the city in a letter dated March 13 and sent to about 1,200 businesses, including The Pantagraph, to notify them of the recently discovered oversight.
The fire protection charge comes from the city's water department, which was consolidated into the public works department in October.
Public Works Director Jim Karch said Tuesday he does not know how much the error cost the city.