DECATUR, Ga.— Today, DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond announced that approximately 8,000 DeKalb water and sewer customers, who have had their bills held because of unverified billing data, will begin to receive regularly scheduled bills beginning the week of April 10.
CEO Thurmond will detail this announcement on Wednesday, April 5, during the first of three 30-day progress reports on the New Day Project that will correct the problems of inaccurate billing.
“With the support of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, we have developed a short- and long-term strategy to restore trust and integrity to the water billing system,” CEO Thurmond said. “The root causes of the water billing problem include inadequate planning, staffing and training, as well as inefficient billing software, defective water meters and insufficient communication.”
Beginning the week of April 10, affected customers will begin receiving their January and February monthly and bimonthly bills. These will include a letter from CEO Thurmond detailing some of the causes for the delayed bills and recent corrective actions.
Held bills will not be assessed late fees or other penalties for late payment. Extended payment terms only will be available for the held bills. Any balance that was due prior to September 2016 will still be due and will carry forward on the January/February bill.
DeKalb County has a total of 194,000 water and sewer customers. In September 2016, approximately 37,000 accounts could not be independently verified as being accurate.
On Feb. 28, 2017, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners approved CEO Thurmond’s recommendation to fund the New Day Project.
Customers needing an extension to pay their bills should contact the Utility Customer Operations Center at 774 Jordan Lane in Decatur, or call (404) 378-4475 to speak with a customer service representative.
For more information regarding the New Day Project, please visit: www.dekalbcountyga.gov/waterbilling.
CEO Thurmond’s water billing update will be held on Wednesday, April 5, at 6:30 p.m. in the Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur, GA 30030.
1300 Commerce Drive Decatur, GA 30030
