6.1b ERMUSR 04-09-2019 Elk River
Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO: FROM:
ERMU Commission Theresa Slominski—Finance & Office Manager
MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
April 9, 2019 6.1b
SUBJECT:
Staff Update
ACTION REQUESTED:
None
DISCUSSION:
• As a follow-up from last month, we are still testing a revision to the presentation of the
monthly bills to better separate City versus ERMU services. This also allows for a slight
change to the color scheme and the pictorials (moving from graphs to snapshot
information.) The changes may be available to be in place for the May billing.
• Shut-Offs will resume this month with the ending of the Cold Weather Rule restrictions
of October 15 through April 15. We do a different cycle each Wednesday and it ranges
from 15—60 customers that may be shut-off, depending on the cycle. Due to the limit
of 60 customers we can do in one day, customers with the largest balances are a shut-
off priority, so someone with a smaller balance not making a payment may not be shut-
off the first month of infraction. The Wednesdays of April 17,April 24, May 1, and May 8
will be the disconnect dates for the four cycles immediately following the Cold Weather
Rule restrictions being lifted. (Shutoffs will continue to be performed on Wednesdays
but these first four weeks would most likely be the highest volume.) Sometimes
customers reach out to the commissioners in frustration or anger, so here is a reminder
of our shut-off/disconnect procedures:
o Payments are due on a Tuesday, approximately 20 days after the bill is produced.
o A reminder notice is mailed out to all customers who have still not made
payment one week after the due date (on a Wednesday.)
o A second reminder notice, via a phone call requesting the customer call to
discuss their account, is sent to all customers who have still not made payment
in two and half weeks after the due date (on a Friday.)
o Shut-offs are conducted three weeks after the due date (on a Wednesday.)A
notice is hung on their door in a concealed envelope when the meter is shut-off.
If a customer has an extremely high balance now, they may be disconnected in the first
round on April 17 rather than waiting for their regular cycle date disconnect. They still
would have received all the above notifications.
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