Update on Customer Billing Issues

Some customers have expressed concern about DWM’s water disconnect policies. To clarify, DWM provides two payment notices to customers who are not up-to-date on their water payments. The first notice is on the bill itself; the second is on the disconnect notice. It is crucial that customers pay their water bills by the due date each month to avoid disconnection.

In December, DWM back-billed all water customers for amounts that were not collected for the month of July 2008 only. The rate increase, which was meant to be applied beginning July 1, was not applied until August 1. DWM billed customers in December for the difference between what the bills would have been with the rate increase and what they were without it. For most customers, the adjustment was a minor amount – usually just a few dollars.

Ignoring this discrepancy was not an option; under the City’s bond covenants, DWM is required to collect all money owed for services rendered.

A small number of customers had this back-bill amount show up on their bills as a past-due amount. These customers’ bills have been adjusted and any penalties removed. We are not aware of any service terminations that could be attributed to back-billing.

DWM has 150,000 accounts in its billing system. Problems related to water accounts comprise less than 1 percent of these accounts. On average, 95 percent of our customers pay their bills on time each month.

Still need help? E-mail us or call Customer Service at 404.658.6500.