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City says software conversion caused irregular water bills; staff expects cycle to normalize
Summary
Councilmembers and staff said a recent billing-software conversion shortened one water bill to 19 days and extended the next cycle, producing higher charges for some customers; staff urged customers that bills should normalize next month and suggested posting comparisons online.
City staff and councilmembers said the city recently converted utility billing software and that the conversion altered billing cycles, producing a short 19-day bill followed by a longer billing period and higher usage totals for some customers.
A councilmember identified in the meeting as Joel said bills were mailed today and that last month's bill covered 19 days because of data constraints during the system conversion. He said the transition prevented running bills on the previous schedule, and the city chose to stretch out the next billing period rather than run two billing cycles in one month. The irregular timing, coupled with recent rate increases mentioned in the meeting, is the explanation staff gave for higher charges some customers reported on social media.
Staff said the higher amounts seen by some customers should not recur next month if usage is unchanged, and the city will return to a regular 30-day cycle. Staff also discussed producing a comparison sheet showing how Le Mars rates compare to other cities and suggested using social media to help explain the changes. Several councilmembers commended staff for the effort to convert the software and handle customer calls during the transition.
