Title
ORDINANCE NO. 3003 NEW SERIES
AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GLENDALE, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA, AMENDING CITY CODE CHAPTER 33 - WATER, SEWERS AND SEWAGE DISPOSAL; AND SETTING FORTH AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
Staff Contact: Vicki Rios, Director, Budget and Finance
Staff Contact: Craig Johnson, P.E., Director, Water Services
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Purpose and Recommended Action
Recommendation
This is a request for City Council to waive reading beyond the title and adopt an ordinance amending Glendale City Code, Chapter 33 - Water, Sewers and Sewage Disposal as referenced in Exhibit A to the ordinance with an effective date of November 7, 2016.
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Background
Staff from Budget and Finance, Water Services, and the City Attorney’s Office have completed a comprehensive review of Chapter 33 of the City Code. Although revisions to Chapter 33 have been made throughout the years, the last comprehensive review by staff was conducted in 1983.
The purpose of the comprehensive review of the Code was to determine if any revisions are needed in order to: (1) comply with changes to State and federal law; (2) adopt current practices commonly employed by the utility, customer service, and finance operations in other municipalities across the Phoenix metropolitan area; and (3) memorialize the City’s existing best practices for those customer services.
At the August 16, 2016, City Council Workshop, staff briefed Council and received direction to proceed with the proposed updates to Chapter 33.
Analysis
If approved, the proposed updates to City Code Chapter 33 - Water, Sewers and Sewage Disposal would:
• Establish the documentation required for new customer account set-up.
• Prorate base charges in the event a bill is issued outside the standard billing period.
• Give the City discretion and authority to adjust the amount billed to a customer as a result of errors, omissions, unusual usage, and or other extraordinary circumstances.
• Provide a timeline for disputing a final bill or for raising disputes on any monthly bill before the final bill is issued to the Customer.
• Provide staff discretion to waive or adjust certain fees, postpone or defer service termination and disconnection, and allow resumption of service and reconnections on a case-by-case basis in extraordinary circumstances.
• Provide uniformity with state law which no longer allows municipalities to require outstanding balances to be paid in full before water services are restored to a residential property of four or fewer units if the customer requesting the new service did not previously have service in his/her name at that address.
• Provide staff with discretion on whether or not to require new tenants or occupants of commercial and residential properties of five units or more to pay outstanding balances left on a previous customer’s account prior to turning on water and or sewer services to that property.
• Remove specific job titles and replace them with the word “City”.
• Identify unlawful utility activities and establish consequences for customers if they interfere with any City employees in discharging their duties or if they tamper with system infrastructure. Revisions would notify potential violators that such interference, tampering or damage will be treated as a Class 1 misdemeanor.
• Provide the City Manager with the authority to implement the drought management plan, conduct public outreach and take enforcement actions.
• Establish the owner’s responsibility for the sewer connection and maintenance.
• Place all fees in one consolidated table at the end of Chapter 33 to the City Code making it easier for customers and staff to find the various fees in one location. This amendment would not add or change fees.
Previous Related Council Action
At the August 16, 2016 Workshop, staff briefed Council on these updates.
Community Benefit/Public Involvement
Periodic review and revisions of the City Code provides Council with the opportunity to review and give guidance on policies. It also ensures that the information contained in the Code is clear and aligns with best practices for City operations.
Budget and Financial Impacts
The financial impact as a result of these amendments to Chapter 33 is expected to be minimal.