Cave Creek updates water service adjustment policy; council requires leak-monitoring enrollment
Loading...
Summary
Council approved revisions to the town’s water service adjustment policy to allow one adjustment per account every 60 months and added an eligibility requirement that customers enroll in the town’s conservation leak-monitoring program to qualify for adjustments.
Cave Creek — The Town Council on Monday approved revisions to the town’s water service adjustment policy, allowing no more than one billing adjustment per customer account in any 60‑month period and adding an eligibility condition that customers participate in the town’s conservation/leak‑monitoring program.
The council voted to approve Resolution R2024‑16 adopting the revised policy, including the amendment requiring enrollment in the town’s leak‑monitoring program for eligibility. The revised policy is effective for the October 20, 2024 service period, per staff.
Sherry (Finance Director) explained the change aims to balance customer service and water‑conservation objectives. Under the new policy, a customer who previously received an adjustment will be eligible again only after 60 months unless the town manager authorizes an exception for unusual circumstances. Sherry said staff consulted peer agencies and found similar time frames ranging from two to five years and recommended 60 months as a reasonable balance.
Sherry gave a customer example for context: “On a fixed income, [a customer] ended up with a $6,000 bill for one month when their normal bill is about $135.” She said the town has recorded 54 adjustments in the past 12 months, totaling just over $56,000; the adjustments have ranged from about $50 to $5,000. She added that the number of accounts adjusted is roughly 1.2% of approximately 4,500 water accounts and that the total adjusted amount is less than 1% of roughly $7,800,000 in water‑usage revenue.
Council members and staff discussed the town’s roll‑out of smart meters (the Neptune My360 system). Sean Cruz Weisner (Utilities Director) described the system’s capabilities: customers can create a login, view near‑real‑time usage and set notifications for abnormal use. Council added the enrollment requirement to the policy to encourage customer sign‑up for leak monitoring; the council approved the insertion of an “Eligibility” bullet requiring participation in the town’s conservation leak monitoring program as a condition to receive an adjustment.
The council approved the revised policy by voice vote after the amendment (ayes recorded 6–0). The town manager retains discretion to grant additional adjustments in unusual circumstances, and staff will proceed with outreach about the meter portal and leak‑monitoring enrollment.
