Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utility Billing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council adopts ordinance to move St. Helena utility billing from bimonthly to monthly
Summary
Council held the introduction and first reading and then voted to move forward with an ordinance to change water and sewer billing from bimonthly to monthly, reduce the bill due window to 21 days, and eliminate late penalties; council vote was unanimous.
The St. Helena City Council conducted the public hearing and voted on May 13 to proceed with an ordinance to change the city's utility billing for water and sewer from bimonthly to monthly billing, shorten the due period to 21 days, and remove late penalties and interest charges.
Finance Manager Martin Beltran told council the changes do not alter the annual cost to customers; the changes increase billing frequency from six to 12 statements per year and rely on the city's smart-meter installation to improve meter reading and billing accuracy. Staff said reducing the due-date window to 21 days addresses posting and timing issues that arise with monthly cycles, and that eliminating late penalties aligns the city with other utilities.
After a public hearing with no members of the public asking to speak on the item, the council voted to adopt the staff recommendation. The roll call recorded affirmative votes from Councilmembers Barrick, Summers, Spadaro, Vice Mayor Deasy and Mayor Paul Dohring.
Ending: The ordinance will return for final adoption at a subsequent meeting (the action on May 13 advanced staff'recommended language and next steps).
