City considers new water disconnect charges
LISA HOBBS
News Editor
Having utility disconnections can significantly impact households financially, given the additional charges levied. Customers of McMinnville Water and Wastewater Department may soon pay more for nonpayment.
The city’s Water and Sewer Committee met this week to discuss fees charged to customers due to non-payment.
“Currently, what we are doing when someone is disconnected due to nonpayment, we don’t charge for disconnect,” said Department Director Ricky Morton. “It’s zero dollars. Reconnect during business hours is $25, after business hours is $40, and on weekends and holidays, it’s a $50 reconnect.”
The department waives the first disconnect of the year. Additionally, it has established a “Call Out.” Customers are called the day before their service is disconnected. Also, no customer who owes less than $40 on their bill is disconnected.
However, by code customers should be charged $25 for disconnect and $25 for reconnect during business hours, a combined $50. After hours, it’s an additional $40 on top of the $25 charge. On weekends and holidays, it’s an additional $50. So, disconnect charges should be: $75 on weekends and holidays, $65 after business hours and $50 during business hours.
Customers are charged more after hours, weekends and holidays because the department must pay the employee for two hours of work, even if it’s just to reconnect one customer.
Morton recommended that they adhere to the code with the hope of prompting customers to pay their bills.
“Our guys come in on disconnect day and wait for the list to go out and turn those customers off. Then, they go back and wait to turn them back on. Most customers are turned back on by lunch. What this might do is to cut down on the number of cutoffs that we do have. If they spend half a day on disconnect day, that’s half a day in which they could be doing something else.”
Committee members Aldermen Rachel Kirby, Kara Youngblood and Sally Brock unanimously approved the change. The measure will be presented to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for its consideration.
When contacted by Warren County Way after the meeting, Morton stated that it’s not the department’s intent to put financial strain on people who might be already struggling, but he would like to urge people to pay on time and reduce the number of hours employees spend disconnecting and reconnecting customers, so they can be productive in other areas.
Because people’s phone numbers can change, customers of McMinnville Water and Wastewater Department are asked to make sure the department has an accurate one for them and to keep their contact info updated as changes are made.