Winchester council approves state-mandated utility-billing changes after customer survey

Winchester City Council on Aug. 13 approved amendments to the city code to implement changes to utility-billing terms required by state law, after staff presented survey results showing a majority of affected customers opposed converting from a bimonthly to a monthly billing cycle.

Perry, a city staff member presenting the ordinance 2024-12, told the council the proposal includes two parts: mandatory modifications required by state code and an optional policy choice about the billing cycle. The city surveyed more than 9,400 bimonthly customers and received over 1,800 responses, Perry said, and “the results are … pretty overwhelming that the majority of people do not want to convert to monthly billing.” He recommended the council approve the mandatory, state-required edits and leave the optional billing-cycle decision for later.

At public hearing, a resident introduced as Mr. Christian urged the council to consider a fee structure that separates a monthly access/attachment charge from consumption charges so low-usage customers would not be disadvantaged by more frequent billing. “You should have an access fee for your water line to the city water, and then on top of that, then every month … you get that added on to your bill,” he said.

Councilor Milstead moved to approve the ordinance with only the changes required by state law; Mayor Smith seconded. Councilors noted the survey’s results were strong but acknowledged the topic could return for reconsideration if future data supports a policy change. On a roll-call vote the motion passed with all councilors present voting in favor.

The ordinance approval covers the mandatory code changes staff identified; the council did not adopt a citywide conversion to monthly utility billing at this meeting. Staff said they will monitor usage data and public response and may bring additional proposals to council in the future.