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Franklin committee backs changes to utility customer service policy, forwards resolution to full board
Summary
The Budget and Finance Committee recommended that the Board of Mayor and Aldermen consider updates to the city's customer service policy that remove BOMA as a formal appeal venue and codify an exception to sewer charges for certain irrigation/service-line leaks; the recommendation passed by roll call vote.
The Franklin City Budget and Finance Committee voted to forward Resolution 2025-24, an amended customer service policy for municipal utility customers, to the full Board of Mayor and Aldermen for final action.
Jessica Davy, with the billing and licensing department, told the committee the draft removes language that had listed the board (BOMA) as a formal step in the appeal process and formalizes how the city handles high-bill leak adjustments. "We are removing the language that indicates that appeal should be brought to Boma," Davy said, adding customers may still speak with their alderman or make public comment.
The changes address two items staff review annually. Under the proposed policy the city will continue to have staff in billing and licensing and water management handle disputed bills and escalate unresolved matters to city administration rather than routing appeals to BOMA. On leak adjustments, Davy described the current calculation: staff determine a customer's average use over the previous 12 months, deduct that consumption from the high bill, then "divide that in half," leaving the customer responsible for half of the excess and the city absorbing the remainder. She said the department will now codify an existing exception for cases where irrigation or a service-line leak did not flow into the sewer system and adjust the sewer portion to average in those cases.
Committee members asked no substantive changes during the discussion. A roll-call to forward the recommendation recorded yes votes from Alderman Peterson, Alderman Baggett and the committee chair; the motion carried and the resolution will be considered by the full board.
What changed and why it matters: The amendments narrow the formal appeal route and clarify how leak-based high bills are handled. The changes affect nearly 30,000 Franklin utility accounts, and the clarified sewer exception may reduce charges for customers whose leaks did not enter the sewer system.
Next steps: The resolution will appear on a future Board of Mayor and Aldermen agenda for final approval. If approved by the board, the revisions will become the city's formal customer service policy and staff will implement the stated procedures.
