An article in the Times-Reporter on July 14, 2010, concerning the City Council meeting the previous Monday, reported the following:
“During the public comments period, former city councilman Robert Conner of North Ave. NW asked why his water bill was for 38 days instead of 31 as required by city ordinance. He said no one in his neighborhood was charged for that many days. He called it “unfair, illegal and uncaring on the part of the city” and demanded answers. He was told he would have an answer Tuesday.
”Water Superintendent Kelly Ricklic contacted The Times-Reporter after the meeting to say that Conner had his meter changed at his request because it was noisy.”
Good reporting, but what is the rest of the story?
New Philadelphia City Resolution 09-2009, which sets the water rates for the city is specific in how water and sewer rates are to be calculated. Section 1 states: “The minimum water rate effective June 1, 2009 shall be Twelve Dollars and 90/100 ($12.90) per month. Beyond the minimum, any water usage will be billed with a seven percent increase.” Section 2 states: “The sanitary sewer rate effective June 1, 2009 shall be Twelve Dollars and 90/100 ($12.90) per month. Beyond the minimum, any sanitary sewer usage will be billed with a seven percent increase.”
The problem concerning the over-billing of seven days was discussed in a meeting with the Mr. Zucal, New Philadelphia’s Service Director. He explained that the replacement of a defective water meter created the billing problem. While the water meter was read on June 7th, then, because of the water meter replacement on June 14, it was re-read on the 14th, which accounted for the extra seven days. This was done because the billing program the city uses, according to the Service Director, does not allow combining two meter readings, one from the old meter and one from the new meter, to be combined in the next month’s bill. The Service Director said that the billing software program provided by Software Solutions Incorporated (SSI), of Lebanon, Ohio, did not have the ability to combine readings from two separate meters for the same billing period, therefore, the old meter must be read at the time it is removed to get the total water usage. The reason, I was told, was because SSI is a business oriented billing company and not utility oriented, hence the increased billing days.
I called SSI and was told by their representative that this was not the case. The SSI software, being used by New Philadelphia, provides a complete billing system for utilities and is capable of combining readings when meters are changed within the normal monthly billing period. The SSI representative stated that instructions for meter changes in a normal billing cycle are included in the operating manual for the software. In short, SSI stated that there was no reason, when using their software, that meter changes should interfere with the normal billing cycle.
The question then arises, why has this situation been allowed to exist over the length of time it has? The Water Office personnel are aware that improper billing periods create problems, and sometimes hardship, for water consumers, as they are the ones who get the consumer complaints. But the responsibility for correction of this problem does not lie with the office personnel, rather with management. The excuse that the extended billing period is caused by meter changes no longer holds water, no pun intended. The problem is that management is ignorant of the capabilities of the SSI software they are using for water and sewer billing. The Service Director and Water Department Supervisor have ignored recurring complaints from consumers about the billing problem and have not tried to investigate solutions to that chronic problem.
There is no reason that regular billing cycles should not be maintained. The Service Director and Water Superintendent should correct this problem without hesitation by using resources already available within the billing system.
Another area of concern, which remains unanswered, is the sewer rate being charged for the use of the city sewer system. Resolution 9-2009 is specific. The sewer rate effective June 1, 2009 is $12.90. The ordinance is specific. Twelve dollars and ninety cents, no more, no less. Why are we paying more?
Addenda:
A month by definition is from the first day of a month to the last day of the month. Seven months have 31 days, four months have 30 days, one month has 28 but every four years adds an extra day to make 29, referred to as a calendar month, the terminology used in business, finance, and the legal profession. From the first of February to the first of March is a 28 day month, from the first of March to the first of April is a 31 day month, from the first of April to the first of May is a 30 day month. With this in mind, from the seventh of one month to the seventh of the next, regardless of the length of that month is a month. There is no way a month on a New Philadelphia water bill can be less than 28 days nor more than 31. (There is also a lunar month, of which there are 13, with a day over, in a year, but almost nobody in business uses it.)
“During the public comments period, former city councilman Robert Conner of North Ave. NW asked why his water bill was for 38 days instead of 31 as required by city ordinance. He said no one in his neighborhood was charged for that many days. He called it “unfair, illegal and uncaring on the part of the city” and demanded answers. He was told he would have an answer Tuesday.
”Water Superintendent Kelly Ricklic contacted The Times-Reporter after the meeting to say that Conner had his meter changed at his request because it was noisy.”
Good reporting, but what is the rest of the story?
New Philadelphia City Resolution 09-2009, which sets the water rates for the city is specific in how water and sewer rates are to be calculated. Section 1 states: “The minimum water rate effective June 1, 2009 shall be Twelve Dollars and 90/100 ($12.90) per month. Beyond the minimum, any water usage will be billed with a seven percent increase.” Section 2 states: “The sanitary sewer rate effective June 1, 2009 shall be Twelve Dollars and 90/100 ($12.90) per month. Beyond the minimum, any sanitary sewer usage will be billed with a seven percent increase.”
The problem concerning the over-billing of seven days was discussed in a meeting with the Mr. Zucal, New Philadelphia’s Service Director. He explained that the replacement of a defective water meter created the billing problem. While the water meter was read on June 7th, then, because of the water meter replacement on June 14, it was re-read on the 14th, which accounted for the extra seven days. This was done because the billing program the city uses, according to the Service Director, does not allow combining two meter readings, one from the old meter and one from the new meter, to be combined in the next month’s bill. The Service Director said that the billing software program provided by Software Solutions Incorporated (SSI), of Lebanon, Ohio, did not have the ability to combine readings from two separate meters for the same billing period, therefore, the old meter must be read at the time it is removed to get the total water usage. The reason, I was told, was because SSI is a business oriented billing company and not utility oriented, hence the increased billing days.
I called SSI and was told by their representative that this was not the case. The SSI software, being used by New Philadelphia, provides a complete billing system for utilities and is capable of combining readings when meters are changed within the normal monthly billing period. The SSI representative stated that instructions for meter changes in a normal billing cycle are included in the operating manual for the software. In short, SSI stated that there was no reason, when using their software, that meter changes should interfere with the normal billing cycle.
The question then arises, why has this situation been allowed to exist over the length of time it has? The Water Office personnel are aware that improper billing periods create problems, and sometimes hardship, for water consumers, as they are the ones who get the consumer complaints. But the responsibility for correction of this problem does not lie with the office personnel, rather with management. The excuse that the extended billing period is caused by meter changes no longer holds water, no pun intended. The problem is that management is ignorant of the capabilities of the SSI software they are using for water and sewer billing. The Service Director and Water Department Supervisor have ignored recurring complaints from consumers about the billing problem and have not tried to investigate solutions to that chronic problem.
There is no reason that regular billing cycles should not be maintained. The Service Director and Water Superintendent should correct this problem without hesitation by using resources already available within the billing system.
Another area of concern, which remains unanswered, is the sewer rate being charged for the use of the city sewer system. Resolution 9-2009 is specific. The sewer rate effective June 1, 2009 is $12.90. The ordinance is specific. Twelve dollars and ninety cents, no more, no less. Why are we paying more?
Addenda:
A month by definition is from the first day of a month to the last day of the month. Seven months have 31 days, four months have 30 days, one month has 28 but every four years adds an extra day to make 29, referred to as a calendar month, the terminology used in business, finance, and the legal profession. From the first of February to the first of March is a 28 day month, from the first of March to the first of April is a 31 day month, from the first of April to the first of May is a 30 day month. With this in mind, from the seventh of one month to the seventh of the next, regardless of the length of that month is a month. There is no way a month on a New Philadelphia water bill can be less than 28 days nor more than 31. (There is also a lunar month, of which there are 13, with a day over, in a year, but almost nobody in business uses it.)
I CHECKED MY WATER BILLS AND MOST ALL WERE 33 DAYS. ONLY ONE WAS 30.
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