OAR 860-036-1400
Customer Billings
(1)
A water utility must provide its customers with timely billings every month or as indicated in its tariffs or statement of rates.(2)
A water utility must prepare bills, including opening and closing bills, from actual meter readings, unless conditions prevent an actual meter reading.(3)
If billings are based on estimated readings, the water utility must clearly identify the estimated meter reads and the estimated consumption on the bill. The water utility must verify the actual meter reading at least once every four months and adjust the customer’s bill as needed.(4)
Customer bills must include the information required by OAR 860-036-1100 (Information for Applicants and Customers)(2). A sample bill form is available at www.puc.state.or.us/Pages/water/forms_notices/water_notices.aspx.(5)
The water utility must provide information in the bill sufficient for the customer to understand and compute the charges being assessed, including:(a)
Separate line items for past due balance, payments and credits, new charges, late fees, and total account balance;(b)
The date new charges are due (at least 15 calendar days from the date the bill was served);(c)
Calculation of new charges including base or flat rate, usage billing tiers and rates, beginning and ending meter readings, the dates the meter was read, rate schedule, billing period, and number of days in the billing period; and(d)
The date any late payment charge was applied and an explanation of the terms of the late payment charge; i.e., “A late charge of (insert charge) may be applied to all past due balances carried forward to the next billing cycle.”
Source:
Rule 860-036-1400 — Customer Billings, https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=860-036-1400.