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City explains winter-based sewer billing after January spike in customer calls
Summary
City staff explained North Augusta’s winter-based sewer billing (ordinance 89-10): sewer charges are calculated from an average of three winter bills; January–April bills may show higher actuals that become the new annual average. Staff advised customers to contact finance for leak checks and said residential customers cannot opt out of the winter-based method.
City staff used the Feb. 2 meeting to explain recent citizen inquiries about high sewer bills. Ms. Clifford and finance staff outlined the city’s long-standing winter-based sewer-billing method (codified by Ordinance 89-10): sewer charges are calculated using an average of three wintertime meter readings to set wastewater billing for the remainder of the calendar year. The rationale is to avoid charging customers for summer water uses that do not return to the sewer system (pool fills, irrigation), which typically benefits many households.
Staff explained the billing timeline: customers receive water-usage meter reads that feed bills in December through April; January bills begin to reflect more recent actual usage and those actuals are used to compute the new average that will be applied for the rest of the year. That sequencing has produced an uptick in customer calls this January because actual usage months are being incorporated into the recalculated average.
Jamie Paul (city clerk) and finance staff said customers should first contact the finance department’s customer-service line for an explanation and that staff will investigate potential causes such as undetected leaks. Staff emphasized the city has added personnel in finance and aims for a 24–48 hour maximum response time for billing inquiries. The transcript records staff saying residential customers cannot opt out of winter-based billing (it is set by ordinance), though commercial accounts have options to use actuals or other bases.
Edgefield County customers whose water is read by Edgefield are not charged city water fees but are billed by North Augusta for sewer charges using the Edgefield reading; staff said they will average the incoming reads for Edgefield accounts in the same winter-based process and recommended those customers check Edgefield County usage history with the county.
What’s next: Staff recommended running a focused study session later in the year if the council wishes to reconsider the method, and they agreed to add clear messaging on bills beginning in October to warn customers about upcoming winter-based average recalculation.
