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Board revises one-time bill adjustment policy to expand eligibility, set periodic limits and raise staff approval thresholds
Summary
The board approved changes to the authority's policy on one-time adjustments to customer water bills that alter how excess consumption is charged, allow adjustments at a set interval and raise certain staff approval limits.
The Sweetwater Authority board on Jan. 22 approved amendments to the agency's one-time adjustment to customer water bills policy intended to provide relief for customers who receive unusually high bills due to circumstances outside their control.
Assistant General Manager Yano summarized changes discussed by the board and at a December committee meeting. Key revisions include: charging excess water at a lower residential tier-rate rather than the wholesale cost used under the previous policy, permitting the adjustment once every 10 years for a given account, and increasing staff approval thresholds.
Staff proposed raising the general manager's approval limit from $1,500 to $2,000 and increasing the customer service manager's approval limit from $400 to $900 so routine adjustments can be handled administratively. The board also instructed staff to request additional information from customers submitting requests so staff can evaluate the cause of high use.
Director Cox asked whether customer-service staff had been consulted on operational impacts; staff confirmed the customer-service group provided the suggested adjustments.
After a motion and second, the board voted unanimously to adopt the amended policy.
