Visalia: Monthly billing date change for metered customers

The below letter applies to all Visalia customers who recently had a change in billing or meter-reading date, or who received two bills in the same month.

June 1, 2010

Dear Customer:

In order to comply with Section 527 of the California Water Code, California Water Service Company (Cal Water) is in the process of converting all flat-rate services to metered services. To make this conversion as cost-effective as possible, we must reorganize our meter reading routes to allow for the addition of new metered accounts.

As a result, starting in July 2010, your meter will be read on a new day of the month. Please note the following:

Your bill will come earlier or later than usual, depending on your new meter-read date.
Your bill may be higher or lower than usual for this first month only, because you will be paying for water used over a different period of time.
As usual, you will be billed only for your monthly service charge and the water that passes through your meter.

We apologize for any inconvenience this project may cause our customers. We also recognize that some customers already had their meter reading routes changed in 2008 and apologize for the added inconvenience of another route change. Our original flat-to-meter conversion schedule was based on a 16-year schedule; however, we have since worked with the city of Visalia to expedite the conversion to four years, necessitating this route change.

We are doing everything we can to minimize the impact on our customers and thank you for your understanding. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Sincerely,
Phil Mirwald
Visalia District Manager