The city of Jefferson has become less lenient with customers who don’t pay their water bills.
City clerk Diane Kennedy told the city council at its regular meeting July 22 that she amended the late notices sent to water customers in July to inform them that no late payment arrangements or extensions would be granted. The stricter policy was approved recently by the city council’s water and sewer committee and became effective with the July water bill cycle.
Kennedy explained the city’s old policy: Jefferson water customers receive their bill the first of the month with a due date on the 15th. Late notices are generally sent out the 17th and the late payment penalty is added. Customers have 12 more days to pay the bill or to request a hearing if the amount is disputed or they’re unable to pay. If the bill remains unpaid and no hearing is scheduled, the resident is given a 24-hour “red tag” notice of pending disconnection. In the past, customers were allowed to make payment arrangements even after the red tag was placed to avoid the disconnection. Payment arrangements are no longer accepted, Kennedy said.
According to Kennedy, a staff person spends almost an entire week every month dealing with late water bills, monitoring payments, answering phone calls, and preparing red tags and reports for the water department. “It’s just becoming too time consuming. It’s basically less than 1 percent of our people we’re dealing with every month, month after month, and it’s been that way for a very long time,” Kennedy said.
In the July billing cycle, there were 235 customers who had not paid their bills by the 17th. They received the late notice with the “no arrangements” warning. As of today, only three or four of them have called the city office. Kennedy said she is unsure what to expect early next week with July 29 being the last day to pay to avoid disconnection.
The stricter policy was first discussed in January. At that time Kennedy said there are typically three to seven disconnects for non-payment each month, and that past due water bills often total between $17,000 and $18,000.
Charge for grave opening increased: The city council also approved a recommendation from the cemetery committee to increase the charge for a grave opening from $450 to $500 year-round. The new fee eliminates a $50 surcharge for a winter grave openings. Committee member Harry Ahrenholtz explained that the additional $50 does not cover the cost of the propane used for to thaw the ground, and that rather than adding $300 or so as the winter charge, the committee hopes that the $50 increase year-round will cover the difference.
Council member Shannon Black agreed that using the same fee year-round seemed more fair. “It doesn’t seem to be punishing a family for the time of year that someone passes away. It makes it more uniform,” Black said.
The $500 grave opening charge is on the high end of the range of charges by municipal cemeteries, Kennedy said.
Council appointments: The city council appointed Linda Eighmy to a five year term on the planning and zoning commission, and Sheryl McDonald and Kathy Calvert to five year terms on the board of adjustment. The council also appointed Mike Wahl to the Jefferson fire department.
