Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council weighs ordinance to formalize utility shutoff rules after resident complaints
Summary
Council members raised concerns about prior utility practices that allowed shutoffs after phone calls and discussed drafting an ordinance to require identification and written policy to prevent arbitrary disconnections; Law Director Costa Mastros recommended routing changes through the utility committee and drafting a written ordinance.
Council members spent significant time at the Sept. 30 meeting discussing past utility practices and whether the city should adopt an ordinance to replace inconsistent procedures.
Council member Walker and Mr. Mayo recounted cases where residents reported water disconnections after phone calls and questioned how the city verifies the identity of someone requesting a shutoff. "If you have to come here in person...that doesn't make any sense," Walker said, arguing written rules should replace ad-hoc practice. Mr. Mayo added that allowing arbitrary shutoffs "doesn't make any sense, and we're stealing money from people, and we need to stop."
Law Director Costa Mastros recommended the council draft an ordinance and run it through the utility committee so the city can set clear identification safeguards: "I would do this, run it through utility committee...Have it written. Don't have any guesswork." He said a written policy should make the process consistent and advised updating related water policies as needed.
Council members requested copies of any existing written water policy and signaled support for preparing ordinance language to clarify identification requirements for account holders. No ordinance vote occurred at the meeting; Mastros and staff committed to preparing draft language for council consideration.
