CITY OF KENNEDALE WATER

$for $of water usage is unacceptableThere are households with metersThe fact sheet does not address meter householdsThe rates are due to poor management of the infrastructure in KennedaleThey are trying to recoup a sewer fix expenditure of $700,over a and 1/year timeframe The financial models in the city are old and they need to be revisedPoor planning and lack of infrastructure does not warrant increasing the rates on the second meter to $with zero usageMy house charge is averaging $for $of water usage We are being penalized for conservation of water, poor management, and outdated financial models

Below is our response to this complaintMy understanding is that she called [redacted] times per our system notes and they explained what happened with the MTU and the readings not transmitting Although it is never our first choice to estimate water usage, sometimes it is necessary when a customer’s meter fails to report readings electronicallyThere are many reasons why meters fail to reportIn this case, the cause was on December 28th the MTU needed to be replaced so a new MTU was placed on the meterThe length of time for which this specific bill was estimated was six months, not 2-years as stated in Ms [redacted] ’s letter When meter reads fail to be transmitted for several months, we send a member of the Public Works Department out to read the meter manuallyThe difference between the actual reading and the last estimated reading are divided by the number of months that have passed since the last “Actual Read” billingWe are permitted by city ordinance ­Ord 85-1to estimate utility bills when necessary, and to re-bill the differenceIn the case that they have overpaid during the period of estimation, a credit is applied to their current billing The next step is what sometimes frustrates customersBecause we do not want to add several months of unbilled usage to the current bill, which would sometimes move the customer up into a higher priced usage tier, we go back and “re-bill” an equal portion of the excess usage for each month in which that the customer previously received an estimated billingThese each arrive as separate bills, which can feel overwhelming, but this process is to the customer’s financial benefit The City of Kennedale understands that receiving a bill that is higher than expected can be an inconvenience, and for that reason, an attempt was made to contact anyone affected by this situation, including Ms [redacted] , and explain what was happeningA message was left by [redacted] at [redacted] on January 14, at 10:notifying them that were receiving corrected bills since the previous bills were being estimated and that she could call with any questions? We would suggest that Ms [redacted] ensure that her contact information is up-to-date in [redacted] system Again, we do apologize for the inconvenience, and we invite Ms [redacted] to call us at [redacted] if she needs to set up a payment plan [redacted] Director of Finance & IT City of Kennedale [redacted] ***

Below is our response to this complaintMy understanding is that she called [redacted] times per our system notes and they explained what happened with the MTU and the readings not transmittingAlthough it is never our first choice to estimate water usage, sometimes it is necessary when a customer’s meter fails to report readings electronicallyThere are many reasons why meters fail to reportIn this case, the cause was on December 28th the MTU needed to be replaced so a new MTU was placed on the meterThe length of time for which this specific bill was estimated was six months, not 2-years as stated in Ms [redacted] ’s letterWhen meter reads fail to be transmitted for several months, we send a member of the Public Works Department out to read the meter manuallyThe difference between the actual reading and the last estimated reading are divided by the number of months that have passed since the last “Actual Read” billingWe are permitted by city ordinance ­Ord 85-1to estimate utility bills when necessary, and to re-bill the differenceIn the case that they have overpaid during the period of estimation, a credit is applied to their current billingThe next step is what sometimes frustrates customersBecause we do not want to add several months of unbilled usage to the current bill, which would sometimes move the customer up into a higher priced usage tier, we go back and “re-bill” an equal portion of the excess usage for each month in which that the customer previously received an estimated billingThese each arrive as separate bills, which can feel overwhelming, but this process is to the customer’s financial benefitThe City of Kennedale understands that receiving a bill that is higher than expected can be an inconvenience, and for that reason, an attempt was made to contact anyone affected by this situation, including Ms [redacted] , and explain what was happeningA message was left by [redacted] at [redacted] on January 14, at 10:notifying them that were receiving corrected bills since the previous bills were being estimated and that she could call with any questions We would suggest that Ms [redacted] ensure that her contact information is up-to-date in [redacted] systemAgain, we do apologize for the inconvenience, and we invite Ms [redacted] to call us at [redacted] if she needs to set up a payment plan [redacted] Director of Finance & IT City of Kennedale [redacted] ***

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this does not resolve my dispute Please enter your reason(s) for rejecting the business response below I have attached a copy of my reading historyKennedale Water is stating that this issue where their [redacted] failed was months previouslyAs you can see in the usage history, my average was anywhere between 4000-use in tier gallons from November to June 2015, that my last usage read in June was for 5618, but in July is when your [redacted] failed and all of a sudden my usage jumped from to Now since the MTU failed, my usage averages between 8000-How does this all of a sudden happen? I have reviewed every billing statement since 01/since I have lived at this residence (which you can review my pervious billing statements) and never has my usage been over use in tier gallonsMy usage only increased over when your MTU failed How have I been paying the same amount since 01/and now all of a sudden my usage doubles when your equipment fails? I also did my research with neighbors who weren't affected by this MTU failure and their usage is higher than mine but I am paying more moneyNot to mention, that in December my washer broke and I didn't have a washer, that I had to use my neighbors washer and my bill is still higherI had to set up a payment plan in order to keep my water going, which by the way you changed my billing date, from the 2nd of February to the 6th to the 16thI expect to be reimbursed for my payments because the proof is right there, that my usage has never been that high from 01/until your equipment failedPlease prove how one's usage happens to double the same time your equipment failed, coincidence? Highly unlikely Regards, [redacted]

$for $of water usage is unacceptableThere are households with metersThe fact sheet does not address meter householdsThe rates are due to poor management of the infrastructure in KennedaleThey are trying to recoup a sewer fix expenditure of $700,over a and 1/year timeframe
The financial models in the city are old and they need to be revisedPoor planning and lack of infrastructure does not warrant increasing the rates on the second meter to $with zero usageMy house charge is averaging $for $of water usage
We are being penalized for conservation of water, poor management, and outdated financial models

$for $of water usage is unacceptableThere are households with metersThe fact sheet does not address meter householdsThe rates are due to poor management of the infrastructure in KennedaleThey are trying to recoup a sewer fix expenditure of $700,over a and 1/year timeframe
The financial models in the city are old and they need to be revisedPoor planning and lack of infrastructure does not warrant increasing the rates on the second meter to $with zero usageMy house charge is averaging $for $of water usage
We are being penalized for conservation of water, poor management, and outdated financial models

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my dispute
Please enter your reason(s) for rejecting the business response below
I have attached a copy of my reading historyKennedale Water is stating that this issue where their *** failed was months previouslyAs you can see in the usage history, my average was anywhere between 4000-use in tier gallons from November to June 2015, that my last usage read in June was for 5618, but in July is when your *** failed and all of a sudden my usage jumped from to Now since the MTU failed, my usage averages between 8000-How does this all of a sudden happen? I have reviewed every billing statement since 01/since I have lived at this residence (which you can review my pervious billing statements) and never has my usage been over use in tier gallonsMy usage only increased over when your MTU failed How have I been paying the same amount since 01/and now all of a sudden my usage doubles when your equipment fails? I also did my research with neighbors who weren't affected by this MTU failure and their usage is higher than mine but I am paying more moneyNot to mention, that in December my washer broke and I didn't have a washer, that I had to use my neighbors washer and my bill is still higherI had to set up a payment plan in order to keep my water going, which by the way you changed my billing date, from the 2nd of February to the 6th to the 16thI expect to be reimbursed for my payments because the proof is right there, that my usage has never been that high from 01/until your equipment failedPlease prove how one's usage happens to double the same time your equipment failed, coincidence? Highly unlikely
Regards,
*** ***

? I have reviewed
your complaint and requested resolution of a refundYour complaint states that
you would like to be refunded for the basic charge because you have meters at
your houseThis is standard practice to charge a basic charge to all meters
Cities like Fort Worth and Arlington
even have a separate rate structure for
irrigation meters but still charge the customer a basic chargeThe basic
charge is for the fixed costs the city incurs and the infrastructure costs to
get the customer water? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? When
we were adopting the new water and wastewater rates, we chose to adopt a new
structure that is becoming more common among cities across TexasWe were
previously only collecting about 25% of our fixed costs through our base rates
and using our variable rates to collect the other 75%However, this is a not a
sustainable model with conservation methods and wet weather seasonsSo when
viewing our new rate structure we shifted to 75% of our fixed costs being
recovered in the base rateThis has caused the basic charge for customers to
go upHowever, the fixed costs of the system are incurred even if there is no
usage in the system? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? When
a customer has a second meter we have to provide infrastructure to ensure the
meter performs at the same level as any other meter in the systemThe second
meter can be eliminated and integrated into the main customer meter and this is
an option any customer can look into to eliminate paying additional basic
chargesI have attached
a water and wastewater fact sheet that we prepared to help our residents
understand the new utility rates and the reason for the increaseOne of the
reasons is that we incurred large unexpected costs during FY that we fixed
before they became a problem to our system and our residents but they wiped out
our reservesWe had not done a rate increase since July and we incurred
many increases in costs that were not being passed on to our customers? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? I
apologize that at this time we cannot accommodate your request to remove the
basic charge to all irrigation meters in the cityI hope this information
helps you understand the reason for the increase and the change in structure of
our utility ratesPlease feel free to contact the City, Manager, Mayor or Council, or myself if you would like to further discuss
issues with the utility rates

Below is our response to this complaintMy understanding is that she called *** times per our system notes and they explained what happened with the MTU and the readings not transmitting Although it is never our first choice to estimate water usage, sometimes it is necessary when a
customer’s meter fails to report readings electronicallyThere are many reasons why meters fail to reportIn this case, the cause was on December 28th the MTU needed to be replaced so a new MTU was placed on the meterThe length of time for which this specific bill was estimated was six months, not 2-years as stated in Ms***’s letter When meter reads fail to be transmitted for several months, we send a member of the Public Works Department out to read the meter manuallyThe difference between the actual reading and the last estimated reading are divided by the number of months that have passed since the last “Actual Read” billingWe are permitted by city ordinance ­Ord 85-1to estimate utility bills when necessary, and to re-bill the differenceIn the case that they have overpaid during the period of estimation, a credit is applied to their current billing The next step is what sometimes frustrates customersBecause we do not want to add several months of unbilled usage to the current bill, which would sometimes move the customer up into a higher priced usage tier, we go back and “re-bill” an equal portion of the excess usage for each month in which that the customer previously received an estimated billingThese each arrive as separate bills, which can feel overwhelming, but this process is to the customer’s financial benefit The City of Kennedale understands that receiving a bill that is higher than expected can be an inconvenience, and for that reason, an attempt was made to contact anyone affected by this situation, including Ms***, and explain what was happeningA message was left by *** at *** on January 14, at 10:notifying them that were receiving corrected bills since the previous bills were being estimated and that she could call with any questions? We would suggest that Ms*** ensure that her contact information is up-to-date in *** system Again, we do apologize for the inconvenience, and we invite Ms*** to call us at *** if she needs to set up a payment plan *** *** Director of Finance & IT City of Kennedale *** *** *** *** ** ***

Below is our response to this complaint. My understanding is that she called [redacted] 2 times per our system notes and they explained what happened with the MTU and the readings not transmitting. Although it is never our first choice to estimate water usage, sometimes it is necessary when a...

customer’s meter fails to report readings electronically. There are many reasons why meters fail to report. In this case, the cause was on December 28th the MTU needed to be replaced so a new MTU was placed on the meter. The length of time for which this specific bill was estimated was six months, not 2-3 years as stated in Ms. [redacted]’s letter. When meter reads fail to be transmitted for several months, we send a member of the Public Works Department out to read the meter manually. The difference between the actual reading and the last estimated reading are divided by the number of months that have passed since the last “Actual Read” billing. We are permitted by city ordinance ­Ord 85-1to estimate utility bills when necessary, and to re-bill the difference. In the case that they have overpaid during the period of estimation, a credit is applied to their current billing. The next step is what sometimes frustrates customers. Because we do not want to add several months of unbilled usage to the current bill, which would sometimes move the customer up into a higher priced usage tier, we go back and “re-bill” an equal portion of the excess usage for each month in which that the customer previously received an estimated billing. These each arrive as separate bills, which can feel overwhelming, but this process is to the customer’s financial benefit. The City of Kennedale understands that receiving a bill that is higher than expected can be an inconvenience, and for that reason, an attempt was made to contact anyone affected by this situation, including Ms. [redacted], and explain what was happening. A message was left by [redacted] at [redacted] on January 14, 2016 at 10:15 notifying them that were receiving corrected bills since the previous bills were being estimated and that she could call with any questions.   We would suggest that Ms. [redacted] ensure that her contact information is up-to-date in [redacted] system. Again, we do apologize for the inconvenience, and we invite Ms. [redacted] to call us at [redacted] if she needs to set up a payment plan. [redacted] Director of Finance & IT City of Kennedale [redacted]

I have reviewed
your complaint and requested resolution of a refund. Your complaint states that
you would like to be refunded for the basic charge because you have 2 meters at
your house. This is standard practice to charge a basic charge to all meters.
Cities like Fort Worth and Arlington...

even have a separate rate structure for
irrigation meters but still charge the customer a basic charge. The basic
charge is for the fixed costs the city incurs and the infrastructure costs to
get the customer water.                 When
we were adopting the new water and wastewater rates, we chose to adopt a new
structure that is becoming more common among cities across Texas. We were
previously only collecting about 25% of our fixed costs through our base rates
and using our variable rates to collect the other 75%. However, this is a not a
sustainable model with conservation methods and wet weather seasons. So when
viewing our new rate structure we shifted to 75% of our fixed costs being
recovered in the base rate. This has caused the basic charge for customers to
go up. However, the fixed costs of the system are incurred even if there is no
usage in the system.                 When
a customer has a second meter we have to provide infrastructure to ensure the
meter performs at the same level as any other meter in the system. The second
meter can be eliminated and integrated into the main customer meter and this is
an option any customer can look into to eliminate paying additional basic
charges. I have attached
a water and wastewater fact sheet that we prepared to help our residents
understand the new utility rates and the reason for the increase. One of the
reasons is that we incurred large unexpected costs during FY 15 that we fixed
before they became a problem to our system and our residents but they wiped out
our reserves. We had not done a rate increase since July 2013 and we incurred
many increases in costs that were not being passed on to our customers.                 I
apologize that at this time we cannot accommodate your request to remove the
basic charge to all irrigation meters in the city. I hope this information
helps you understand the reason for the increase and the change in structure of
our utility rates. Please feel free to contact the City, Manager, Mayor or Council, or myself if you would like to further discuss
issues with the utility rates.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my dispute.
Please enter your reason(s) for rejecting the business response below.
I have attached a copy of my reading history. Kennedale Water is stating that this issue where their [redacted] failed was 6 months previously. As you can see in the usage history, my average was anywhere between 4000-7000 use in tier gallons from November 2014 to June 2015, that my last usage read in June 2015 was for 5618, but in July 2015 is when your [redacted] failed and all of a sudden my usage jumped from 5618 to 9192. Now since the MTU failed, my usage averages between 8000-12000. How does this all of a sudden happen? I have reviewed every billing statement since 01/2014 since I have lived at this residence (which you can review my pervious billing statements) and never has my usage been over 7000 use in tier gallons. My usage only increased over 7000 when your MTU failed. How have I been paying the same amount since 01/2014 and now all of a sudden my usage doubles when your equipment fails? I also did my research with neighbors who weren't affected by this MTU failure and their usage is higher than mine but I am paying more money. Not to mention, that in December my washer broke and I didn't have a washer, that I had to use my neighbors washer and my bill is still higher. I had to set up a payment plan in order to keep my water going, which by the way you changed my billing date, from the 2nd of February to the 6th to the 16th. I expect to be reimbursed for my payments because the proof is right there, that my usage has never been that high from 01/2014 until your equipment failed. Please prove how one's usage happens to double the same time your equipment failed, coincidence? Highly unlikely.
Regards,
[redacted]