CUSTOMER
SERVICE POLICY
City
of Wayne Municipal Utilities
Electric,
Water & Sewer Services
OWNERSHIP OF UTILITY:
As a customer
of the City of Wayne Municipal Utilities, you are being served by a utility,
which is wholly owned by the people it serves.
It is governed by the elected City Council and managed by the City
Administrator. The City Council is
responsible for reviewing operating procedures, setting rates, and future
planning for the Utility. The City
Council meets regularly twice each month to conduct the regular business items
and also meets for special purposes as necessary between regular meetings.
APPLICATION FOR SERVICE:
To apply for
utility services, each customer (or his/her agent) must sign the "Application
for Utility Service" and pay the required deposit for each service needed. A copy of the application acknowledging
receipt of service deposits is provided to the customer, along with a listing
of utility rates and customer service policy.
If a customer moves to a new location and desires utility services at
the new location, notification of the new location will be sufficient for
services already being provided. If the
customer adds new services, he/she must sign another application and pay the
required deposit for the new service.
UTILITY DEPOSITS:
Each
new customer is required to make a deposit when applying for utility
services. For all residential
customers, a deposit of $125 is required for electric service, $50 for water
service ($100 for rural customers) and $50 for sewer service. For commercial or non-residential customers,
a total utility service deposit of not less than the one-month average of the
total 90 day billing for the same or comparable non-residential customer during
July, August, & September of the preceding year shall be required, but no
less than the total of the minimum residential deposits. If a customer maintains a record of prompt
payment by the due date for approximately twelve to eighteen consecutive
months, the deposit is refunded by applying it as a credit to the customer's
billing account. Customers who
terminate service prior to receiving the refund are provided the refund minus
all delinquent charges at the time of termination. Deposits cannot be transferred to another person's account, even
if the person is a family member. For
new customers purchasing a home or business, the appropriate deposit is
required to be made within seven days from the date of purchase or the
utilities will be disconnected after reasonable notice.
METER READING:
Each utility
meter is read at least once each month, approximately during the week of the
15th. It is the responsibility of the
customer to provide ready and convenient access to utility meters. In cases where the meter is not accessible
or damaged, usage is estimated according to past usage records. The customer has the right to dispute the
estimated amount and has the right of appeal.
Once a year, the inside water meter is read to verify the accuracy of
the outside meter. The Utility arranges
this meter reading in advance with the customer. Any utility customer has the right to request the Utility, at the
customer's expense, to test a utility meter a reasonable number of times, if
there is a question about accuracy.
BILLING:
Bills are
prepared by the Utility office and mailed to the customer on or near the first
day of each month. The net monthly bill
is due and payable by the tenth day of each month following the date on which a
customer's bill is computed, after which date the bill is considered delinquent
and the gross monthly bill applies. A
penalty of 10% (the gross monthly bill) will be computed on bills received
after the due date. If the tenth day
falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, the deadline for payment of the net
amount is extended to the next working day.
A reminder is sent to each customer whose bill is delinquent. If, for some reason, the customer is away
from home or indisposed, and prior notice is given to the Utility of the reason
for payment delay, the net rate may remain in effect for a reasonable time
until the customer can make payment.
Each item on the utility bill is coded and an explanation
of the code is shown on the face of the bill.
The computerized billing system and employee procedures have been
designated to eliminate as much error as possible from the billing
process. It is the customer's
responsibility to review carefully his/her monthly bill and to notify the
Utility immediately if the amount seems unreasonably low or high compared to
past experience. If notified of a
discrepancy, the Utility will make every attempt to determine if an error
occurred and recompute the bill, if necessary.
PAYMENT:
Payment of
utility bills may be made Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Drop boxes are located at the East and West
entrances of City Hall for depositing bills at any time. Bills can be mailed to the Utility office at
306 Pearl Street, P.O. Box 8, Wayne, NE
68787. The Utility provides the
service of automatic bank payments by completion of a form, which is available
at the Utility office. In addition,
payment may be made with either debit or credit cards (Visa and Mastercard
accepted).
DISCONNECTION & RECONNECTION OF SERVICE:
The Utility
has the right to discontinue services and remove its properties if the charges
for such services are not paid within thirteen days after the date a bill
becomes delinquent. Before any
termination, the Utility office must first give notice by first class mail or
in person to any domestic subscriber (residential customer) whose service is
proposed to be terminated. Service is
not discontinued for at least seven days after the notice is mailed. Any residential customer who has previously
been identified, as a welfare recipient to the Utility by the Department of
Social Services will receive this notice by certified mail, and notice of the
proposed termination will also be given to the Department of Social
Services. A residential customer may
dispute the proposed discontinuance of service by notifying the Utility with a
written statement that sets forth the reasons for the dispute and the relief
requested. A conference is then held
before the Utility may discontinue services.
Any residential customer may appeal an adverse decision to the City
Council who must then conduct a hearing procedure to resolve the problem.
If a customer
whose service has been disconnected, either by his order or by reason of
delinquency, requests a reconnection of such service within twelve months of
the time of disconnection, a reconnection charge equal to the sum of the
monthly minimum charges for the period of disconnection will be collected. The minimum reconnection charge is equal to
the sum of three months minimum charges.
Overtime costs will be added for any reconnections/disconnections
requested to be done after normal working hours (7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.).
THIRD PARTY NOTICE:
Third party
notice is available to all Utility customers.
Upon request, the Utility will send a copy of any notice of utility
service discontinuance to the person (third party) authorized. This service benefits the disabled,
handicapped or elderly, since notice will ensure a third party is aware of
possible discontinuance of utility service.
LANDLORD AND TENANT RULES:
The Utility
considers as its customer that person who makes application for utility service
and who assumes responsibility for payment of service. Services will normally continue until the
customer requests that it be discontinued or until such time that the customer
does not adhere to the rules and regulations of service.
Upon request
of discontinuance of service by a tenant, the meter reading is recorded and the
electric and/or water service disconnected unless written notice is received by
the Utility from the Landlord indicating service is to become responsibility of
Landlord. Service will be reconnected
when the new tenant applies for utility service and pays the deposit and
reconnect fee. The Utility will not be
responsible for damage to property due to lack of heat, etc. It is the Landlord's responsibility to
monitor the occupancy of his/her property.
Any unpaid
delinquent water or sewer utility rents and charges shall be declared by the
Utility to be a lien upon the real estate for which the utility service was
used.
COMPLAINT PROCEDURE:
It is understood
that there are times when a customer of the Utility has a complaint about the
quality of service or with a particular billing, which seems inaccurate or
unjust. Complaints may be made in
person at the Utility office or by letter or telephone. A Utility employee may be able to resolve
the customer's problem immediately. If
not, the complaint will be channeled to the person who can take the necessary
action.
RIGHT OF ACCESS:
The customer
must, without expense to the Utility, permit access to all equipment and
facilities owned by the Utility and located on the customer's premises at all
reasonable hours. The customer must
permit the Utility to trim or cause to be trimmed the limbs and tops of trees
to the extent that such trimming is necessary to avoid interference.
CONTINUITY OF SERVICE:
The Utility
will endeavor to supply, but does not guarantee, continuity of service of a
generally accepted standard.
Interruption of service for repairs, alterations, want of supply,
conditions on a customer's premises dangerous to persons, property or service
of the customer, or others, non-payment by the customer, failure by the
customer to provide means of access for obtaining regularly scheduled readings
of the meter, or for testing the Utility's metering equipment, or prevention of
fraud or abuse, is not a breach by the Utility of its responsibility.
The customer
waives claim for, and by accepting service, releases and discharges the Utility
for claims for, and shall indemnify and save harmless the Utility from any and
all loss and damage arising from interruption of service, or on account of
injury to persons (including death), or damage to property on the premises of a
customer, or under a customer's control, unless such loss, damage, or injury is
the natural, probable, and reasonably foreseeable consequence of the Utility's
negligence, and such negligence is the sole and proximate cause therefore.
FOR
INFORMATION CALL
Wayne
Municipal Utilities
306
Pearl Street, P.O. Box 8
Wayne,
NE 68787
8:30
a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
402/375-1733
