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Everett staff propose code changes to ease utility shutoffs and expand payment options
Summary
City staff proposed amendments to Everett's utility-billing code to shorten the delinquency window, limit amounts required to restore service and roll out a new payments portal and administrative flexibilities aimed at reducing shutoffs for customers affected by longer billing cycles.
City staff presented proposed changes to Everett's utility-billing code on March 11, saying the revisions aim to give households more time to pay, reduce the balance required to restore service after shutoff and expand options to avoid disconnection.
The presentation, led by Ryan Sass of Public Works and finance staff Shawn Bridge and Lindsay Mood, followed a December ordinance that delayed implementation for 90 days so staff could refine procedures. "We're proposing that accounts be considered delinquent at six days past due instead of 10," said Shawn Bridge, public works finance superintendent, during the briefing. He added that staff recommend collecting only past-due amounts when restoring service rather than requiring bills that are not yet due.
The change is meant to reduce hardships that can arise when unpaid balances from an earlier bill roll into a new billing cycle. Under the proposal staff described to council, an account would be considered delinquent at about day 27 of the billing calendar and could be eligible for shutoff no earlier than roughly day 48; staff said the revised timing would give customers more opportunity to make arrangements before service is interrupted.
Lindsay Mood, support services manager, described planned administrative steps tied to the ordinance: expanding fee-removal authority for frontline billing staff, rolling out advanced payment scheduling on the city portal and issuing an RFP for a new payments system that would support pay-by-text, multiple customer profiles and bank bill-pay integration. "We will have free communication for customers," Mood said, explaining that text reminders and reminder calls would be used ahead of mailed notices to help customers avoid the postage-driven fee and the final door-hanger warning.
Council members asked how the ordinance interacts with an ongoing transition to monthly meter reads and whether the timing changes could create a clumsy interim period. Staff said they will coordinate implementation so customers facing larger, transitional bills can receive payment arrangements and that policy-level notices (door hangers) will be scheduled to maximize notice time before shutoff. Staff cited recent data showing the city sends thousands of door-hanger notices but that most do not result in shutoff; extending the window should reduce interruptions, staff said.
The changes are proposed as amendments to the municipal code (following ordinance 4152-25 passed in December) and staff signaled they will return with ordinance language and recommended effective dates. The presentation included operational improvements already underway: an advanced-payment scheduling feature on the current portal, digitized leak-adjustment forms and outreach about low-income and senior discounts administered through Catholic Community Services.
What happens next: staff will return with the ordinance text and recommended implementation dates for council consideration. Council members asked for a comparison between the December timeline and the new proposal to visualize the change, and staff agreed to provide that detail before final reading.
