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Denton staff recommends changes to utility billing: deposits, payment plans, leak adjustments and AMI rollout
Summary
City staff proposed policy changes to speed refunds, reduce manual processing, and broaden discretion in pay agreements and leak adjustments; council generally supported the recommendations and asked for details on renter eligibility and AMI timing.
City staff presented a package of recommended changes Sept. 30 to Denton’s utility-billing programs, including commercial-deposit retention, payment-plan administration, leak-adjustment rules and provisions for upcoming automated metering infrastructure (AMI).
Krista Foster, the city’s customer service manager, told the council a benchmarking study of 22 Texas utilities and more than 100 U.S. utilities showed Denton’s collections and bad-debt performance “is significantly better than the industry,” but staff identified ordinance and process provisions that slow administration and limit flexibility. The recommended changes are intended to reduce manual work, align practices with peers, and give staff limited discretion to respond to exceptional circumstances.
On commercial deposits, staff recommended keeping residential refunds at 12 months of good payment history but…
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