Rohnert Park transitioning to monthly utility billing in July

Rohnert Park water and sewer customers will receive a bit of a financial reprieve as the city transitions this summer to monthly, rather than bimonthly, billing, slashing one-time payments in half.

Although the amount owed will remain the same, city administrators hope the change will help residents more easily incorporate utility bills into their monthly budget rather than facing hefty bills every two months, said Teresa Piotrkowski, the city’s enterprise resource planning system analyst.

The average bimonthly bill for a single-family household of four is about $335, so residents would instead be billed an average of $168 every month. That’s more in line with other monthly costs, she said.

“Bimonthly bills are very challenging for people to pay,” she said. “Regular monthly bills are much easier for residents to budget for, they’re easier to remember, they’re easier to schedule and they’re smaller so they’re easier to pay for if you didn’t budget so well.”

The change is expected to improve the utility’s cash flow, too, she said.

The city’s 10,500 residential, commercial and industrial customers will receive one final bimonthly bill in June that covers water and sewer use in April and May and receive the first monthly bill in July.

The City Council on Tuesday approved modifying the municipal code to implement the new monthly billing cycle.

Piotrkowski said residents have been asking for this change since she started in the utility billing division 18 years ago.

The department has received renewed interest from residents since pandemic-era relief programs ended last August, she said.

Smaller, more manageable bills as well as billing on a more frequent schedule will help reduce the number of delinquent accounts and late fees customers rack up and the number of customers whose water is disconnected, she said.

There were 1,406 residential accounts with past due balances as of the end of the last billing cycle in March, according to the city.

Customers on average owed about $250, amounting to a total of $36,000 in past due bills and penalties. Bills are considered delinquent 21 days after being issued.

Another 90 residents had their water disconnected for nonpayment at the close of the last cycle, the city said.

Under the new billing cycle, bills are due on the fifth of the month and become delinquent on the sixth day or on the next business day if the sixth day falls on a weekend or holiday.

The city will issue a shut-off notice at least seven days before service is scheduled to be disconnected for nonpayment. Service will be shut off if the bill isn’t paid by the cutoff date and the city may send delinquent accounts to outside collection agencies or place a lien on the property if the bill isn’t paid.

Residents who fall behind on payments should reach out to the utility billing department by calling 707-585-6750 to ask about payment options such as a payment plan or extension.

Residents can also seek financial assistance through the federally-funded Low Income Household Water Assistance Program, which provides one-time help for people who need assistance paying past-due or current water and wastewater bills. More information about the program can be found online on the California Department of Community Services and Development website.

Rohnert Park will begin notifying customers of the change in April and finance staff will soon start the process of implementing the new billing system, billing cycle and training staff on the changes.

The change is expected to cost about $28,000 and the city will look to reorganize operations and staffing levels in the billing department to aid with the transition and respond to customer service needs.

You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or paulina.pineda@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @paulinapineda22.