City Utilities Seeks to Clarify Service Charges

The Enumclaw City Council approved a resolution Monday night that establishes clear definitions for charges that city water, wastewater and natural gas customers might see in monthly billing and specifically addresses the question of when base monthly charges are applied.

According to a staff report provided by public works director Chris Searcy, staff receives several complaints yearly from customers who aren't clear on the application of base monthly charges associated with fixed or “ready-to-serve” costs of the utilities. These fixed costs don't vary based on “the quantity of commodity sold or service rendered but rather depend on the number of customers served or meters read,” according to the resolution.

The proposed policy would put customers' accounts in one of three categories: active, inactive or shut-off.

• An 'active' account is connected and “able to place a demand on city utility service at any time.; base monthly charges apply here.
• An 'inactive' account is physically disconnected from the utility system and can't receive services again without a physical reconnection to the system; base monthly charges wouldn't apply here.
• A 'shut-off' account is connected to the system and able to utilize services at any time; however, the meter(s) serving the property have been shut off either at the customer's request or due to non-payment. Base monthly charges still apply in this instance.

The policy also clarifies when an account might be considered “inactive” and what costs there would be to reconnect to the system.

It goes into effect May 1, 2012. (see pages 51-53 from the Council Packet for the full resolution details)