The city of Bend is owed nearly $1 million in outstanding water and sewer bills, namely due to the pandemic and software issues. Between 2017 and 2020, the average outstanding amount owed to the city was $255,000. However, over the next two years, that amount shot up to almost $996,000. About 25-hundred customers’ bills are now past due with the majority of those single-family homes. During the pandemic, the city did not shut off water service when bills went unpaid.