Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Utility topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bicknell water ordinance review: council considers 12‑month averaging and caps for leak adjustments, extends notice period
Summary
Council reviewed a draft culinary‑water ordinance and discussed how to handle unusually large bills from leaks. Members favored using a 12‑month average for bill comparisons, proposed a cap or reduction approach for self‑inflicted leaks, and suggested extending the repair-notice period to 14 days.
Bicknell Town staff presented a draft culinary-water ordinance at the May 29 work meeting and the council discussed proposed rules for billing adjustments when customers experience leaks.
The draft uses the 12‑month average consumption to set a baseline for leak adjustments. Council members voiced support for that approach, saying it reduces the arbitrariness of a single high month. Several members recommended a formal policy for “self-inflicted” leaks (toilets or household plumbing) that would provide a bill reduction but not full forgiveness. Suggested formulas included reducing the excess charge by 50 percent or providing a partial credit with a maximum cap (examples discussed: $450–$1,000) to avoid bankrupting households while still encouraging timely repairs.
Council also discussed notification and repair windows. The draft gave customers seven days to repair a leak after notification; multiple participants asked the town to extend that period to 14 days to allow for scheduling repairs, particularly on weekends. The draft already contains language saying if a leak is not repaired within the notification period the owner is responsible for the full volume of water used.
Members asked staff to draft specific language that distinguishes town-caused or utility-caused events (which the town would treat differently) from customer‑caused leaks. The council asked staff to propose a cap and a procedural checklist for bill adjustments, including documentation of repair work when a customer seeks a billing reduction.
No ordinance was adopted at the work session. Staff will return with proposed text changes addressing the 12‑month averaging baseline, a clear definition and cap for leak adjustments, and an extended notice period for repairs.
