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3903 Water Leak Adjustment PolicyRESOLUTION 3903 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY MOSES LAKE, WASHINGTON, ESTABLISHING A WATER LEAK ADJUSTMENT POLICY Recitals: 1. The City Council adopted a new tiered water rate structure to encourage water conservation effective on January 1, 2022. 2. The tiered rate structure as adopted did not anticipate undetected water leaks which can quickly cause water consumption to reach the highest (over 3,000 cubic feet) and most expensive ($2.65/100 cubic feet) tier of the rate structure. 3. The intent of the water leak adjustment policy is to give customers a procedure to request an adjustment of their water utility bill should they experience an undetected water leak. Resolved: 1. The City of Moses Lake’s policy and procedures for approval, calculation and adjustment of water and sewer charges where excessive water consumption can be attributed to an unknown water leak is attached hereto as Exhibit A and adopted by this reference as if set forth in full and are hereby adopted for use by the City of Moses Lake in accordance with the authority provided by MLMC 13.12.110. The City Council further approves the attached Water Leak Adjustment Credit Form (Exhibit B) for use in implementing the policy. 2. These policies replace any conflicting policies previously approved by the City Manager or adopted by the City Council. ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Moses Lake on this 28th day of June, 2022. Dean Hankins, Mayor ATTEST: Debbie Burke, City Clerk Document Ref: TJUNB-VZKTC-XN7RQ-N4WGG Page 1 of 5 EXHIBIT A Utility Leak Adjustment Policy (adopted pursuant to MLMC 13.12.110) 1.0 PURPOSE: To provide a procedure for approval, calculation, and adjustment of water and sewer charges where excessive water consumption can be attributed to an unknown water leak. 2.0 OPERATIONS AFFECTED: Water and Sewer utilities. 3.0 REFERENCES: MLMC 13.12.110 4.0 POLICY: (a) The property owner, or their agent, must request the adjustment in writing by completing the Water & Sewer Leak Adjustment Credit Request Form. Required information shall include: 1. Name, service address where leak occurred and account number 2. Description of leak and date repaired 3. Copy of repair bill or materials receipts 4. Signature of customer (b) Upon receipt of the completed written request, a representative of the Utility Billing Department will confirm, through visual inspection, that the leak has been repaired. (c) Following confirmation of repair, the Finance Director or designee will adjust no more than 50% of the total water charge in the billing period(s) the leak is detected up to a maximum of $500.00. Where the customer’s sewer bill is based upon water consumption, an adjustment will be allowed to the water and sewer charge provided it can be confirmed to the satisfaction of the Finance Director or designee that the additional water volume was due to the leak and did not enter the sanitary sewer system. (d) Only one leak adjustment per five-year period per account will be authorized. (e) The customer’s leak must be deemed undetectable by the City; no adjustments will be granted for the following: i. internal plumbing leaks which are considered a household maintenance responsibility. ii. leaks caused by customer or customer’s neglect or failure to timely repair a leak iii. leaks in irrigation systems, pools, ponds, water features, hoses left Document Ref: TJUNB-VZKTC-XN7RQ-N4WGG Page 2 of 5 running, leaking faucets and other plumbing fixtures, toilet tanks, or other visible or readily ascertainable leaks. iv. accounts with past due amounts (f) The customer must take action to repair the leak within fourteen (14) days of when the leak is discovered and provide proof to the City that the leak has been repaired. (g) Adjustments below $25.00 will not be processed by the city. (h) For the purpose of calculating leak adjustment credits, water usage over 3,000 cubic feet will be adjusted to the lower rate to provide the highest credit possible. (i) The water consumption portion of the utility bill in the month the leak is detected shall be adjusted to the amount that is one-half of the difference between the previous year’s three-month average consumption and the existing disputed bill’s consumption. The three-month average shall be calculated by taking the average of the previous year’s consumption for the month the leak was detected, the month before and the month after. (j) For customers who have been owners for less than one year, the adjustment will be by one of the following methods: i. The water consumption portion of the utility bill in the month the leak is detected shall be adjusted to an amount that is one-half of the difference between the previous three-month average consumption immediately preceding the disputed bill and the existing disputed bill’s consumption. ii. Or in the absence of three complete prior billing cycles, water consumption after the leak repair is complete can be used to estimate consumption during the leak period. (k) Pursuant to MLMC Chapters 13.07 and 1.20, the city reserves the right to discontinue water service to any premises where the owner fails or refuses to make necessary repairs to fix a leak. If, after reasonable efforts to contact the owner about observable water being lost through leakage, the city at its option may shut off water service and shall leave a written notice as to its action and the reason therefor. (l) The City will set up an incremental payment schedule on any remaining balance attributable to the leak at the customer’s request. The balance will be subject to a reasonable rate of interest and must be paid in full within six (6) months of incurring the charges. Late charges on the leak amount will be waived if the customer adheres to the prearranged payment schedule. For balances in excess of $5,000.00, the Finance Director may permit a longer payment schedule not to exceed 24 months. Document Ref: TJUNB-VZKTC-XN7RQ-N4WGG Page 3 of 5 EXHIBIT B Document Ref: TJUNB-VZKTC-XN7RQ-N4WGG Page 4 of 5 EXHIBIT B Document Ref: TJUNB-VZKTC-XN7RQ-N4WGG Page 5 of 5 Signature Certificate Reference number: TJUNB-VZKTC-XN7RQ-N4WGG Document completed by all parties on: 05 Jul 2022 15:29:40 UTC Page 1 of 1 Signer Timestamp Signature Mayor Dean Hankins Email: dhankins@cityofml.com Recipient Verification: Sent:30 Jun 2022 18:00:45 UTC Viewed:02 Jul 2022 00:57:13 UTC Signed:02 Jul 2022 00:57:43 UTC ✔Email verified 02 Jul 2022 00:57:13 UTC IP address: 136.143.151.109 Location: Quincy, United States Debbie Burke Email: dburke@cityofml.com Sent:30 Jun 2022 18:00:45 UTC Viewed:30 Jun 2022 18:00:48 UTC Signed:05 Jul 2022 15:29:40 UTC IP address: 63.135.54.162 Location: Moses Lake, United States Signed with PandaDoc PandaDoc is a document workflow and certified eSignature solution trusted by 30,000+ companies worldwide.