Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

                                                            Councilmember Mary M. Cheh

        :                                                       PA\

Councilmember David Grosso

 1

 ouncilmember Brianne K, Nadeau                            Councilmember Brandon T. Todd

              f Charles Allen

Councilmember Anita Bonds

                                             ABILL

                   IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

To amend the Water and Sewer Authority Establishment and Department of Public Works

       Reorganization Act of 1996 to require that DC Water provide a period for public

      comment after notice of the proposed establishment or adjustment of retail water and

      sewer rates, to require DC Water to post public comments received by the agency within

days after the closeof the public comment period, to require DC Water to transmit to

      the Mayor and Council and post to the DC Water website a copy of  a Cost of Service

       study, to require DC Water to treat disputes to residential customers bills made in

      writing and within 30 days as timely, to require DC Water to provide notice to residential

      customers ofthe requirement to dispute a contested bill in writing and within 30 days

      when contacted by aresidential customer regardinga bill dispute in any manner other

      than in writing, to require DC Water to list contact information for the DC Water

      complaint line and the Office of the Peoples Counsel on water bills, and to prescribe

      annual reporting requirements regarding the Clean Rivers Impervious Area Charge Relief

       Assistance Fund; and to amend the Lead Service Line Priority Replacement Assistance

       Act of 2004 to prescribe annual reporting requirements regarding the lead water service

       line replacement assistance program.

          BEIT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this

 act may be cited as the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority Transparency

 Amendment Act of 2020.

          Sec. 2. The Water and Sewer Authority Establishment and Department of Public Works

 Reorganization Act of 1996, effective April 18, 1996 (D.C. Law 11-111; D.C. Official Code 

sl   34-2201.01 ef seq.), is amended as follows:

          (a) Section 216 (D.C. Official Code  34-2202.16) is amended as follows:

                  (1) Subsection (b) is amended as follows:

                        (A) Paragraph (1) is amended by striking the phrase notice and public

 hearing and inserting the phrase notice, public comment period, and public hearing in its

 place.

                        (B) A new paragraph (2A) is added to read as follows:

                 (2A)(A) The Authority shall accept public comments on any establishment or

 adjustment of retail water and sewer rates beginning on the date of publication of the notice of

 the public hearing held pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection to the date that is 30 days

 after the public hearing held pursuant to paragraph (1)ofthis subsection.

                        (B) Public comments submitted pursuant to this paragraph shall be

 considered by the Authority in acting upon any establishment or adjustment of retail water and

     sewer rates. The Authority shall not act on any establishment or adjustmentofretail water and

 sewer rates until 30 days have passed since the end of the public comment period described in

     subparagraph (A) of this paragraph.

                         (C) Within 5 days after the endofthe public comment period described

  in subparagraph (A)ofthis paragraph, the Authority shall post all public comments received

  during the public comment period on the Authority's website..

                  (2) A new subsection (b-2) is added to read as follows:

                                                     a Cost of Service study, the Authority shall

             (b-2) Within 7 days after the completion of

T2    transmit a copyofthe study to the Mayor and the Council and post the study to the Authoritys

BB    website..

                  (3) New subsection (f) and (g) are added to read as follows:

          (f)(1) The Authority shall treat as timely challenges to a residential customers bill made

  in writing and received by the Authority within 30 business days after the residential customers

  receiptof the bill.

B                     (2) Ifa residential customer's challenge toa bill is timely, the Authority shall

 suspend the residential customers obligation to pay the disputed bill until the customer has

  received the result of the investigation in writing.

                  (3) Wherearesidential customer contacts the Authority regarding billing in any

  manner other than in writing, the Authority shall inform the customerof the requirement that a

  challenge to a residential customers bill must be made in writing and received within 30

      business days after receipt of the bill to be considered timely.

          (g) The Authority shall include on residential customers bills and the Authoritys

  website the following:

                  (1) Information on atoll-free or local customer assistance and complaint

  telephone number and e-mail address for the Authority, with the hours of operation noted; and

                 (2) The address, e-mail address, and customer assistance telephone numbers for

  the Office of the Peoples Counsel, with the available hours noted..

         (b) Section 216b(d) (D.C. Official Code  34-2202.16b(d)) is amended as follows:

                     (1) The existing text is designated as paragraph (1).

                 (2) A new paragraph (2) is added to read as follows:

                 (2) Within 60 days after the end of each fiscal year, the Authority shall transmit

  to the Mayor and the Council and publicly post on the Authoritys website a report that includes

  the following information from the preceding fiscal year:

                         (A) The total amount of funding remaining in the Clean Rivers

  Impervious Area Charge Assistance Fund (Fund);

                             (B) The number of nonprofit organizations that applied for financial

 assistance, the number of nonprofit organizations that received financial assistance, and the total

 amount of funding provided to nonprofits through the financial assistance program required by

 subsection (a)ofthis section;

                        (C) The numberofresidential customers that applied for financial

 assistance, the number of residential customers that received financial assistance, and the total

 amountoffunding provided to residential customers through the financial assistance program

 required by subsection (b) of this section, broken down by the Customer Assistance Program

 income limits set by the Authority;

                        (D) The average impervious area charge for residential customers:

                                 (i) District-wide;

                                 (ii) By ward;and

i                                     (iii) By income level, broken down by 0-50% Average Median

 Income (AMI), 50%-60% AMI, 60%-80% AMI, 80-100% AMI, and 100% AMI or greater;

                        (E) The average numberofdays the Authority took to process a

 residential customers application for financial assistance, from the date the Authority received

1S    an application for financial assistance from a residential customer to the date that the Authority

 provided the residential customer with either financial assistance or notice that they did not

 qualify for financial assistance; and

                          (F) Efforts made by the Authority to publicize the availability of financial

 assistance through the Fund, includinga description of the total amountofexpenditures by the

 Authority on such efforts..

         Sec. 3. The Lead Service Line Priority Replacement Assistance Act of 2004, effective

 December 7, 2004 (D.C.     Law 15-205; D.C. Official Code  34-2151 ef. seq), is amended as

 follows:

         (a) Section 6019b(f) (D.C. Official Code  34-2158(f)) is amended to read as follows:

         (f(1) DC Water shall publish on its website a list of approved contractors for residential

 property owners to use for the replacementofthe portionof a lead water service line on private

 property. The list shall be updated at least once per fiscal year.

                (2) Ifa residential property owner seeks to use a contractor not on the list

 required by paragraph (1) of this subsection, the residential property owner shall first receive

 written approval from DC Water to use that contractor. If a residential property owner does not

 receive written approval from DC Water to use a contractor and the contractor is not on the list

 required by paragraph (1) of this subsection, any replacement costs incurred by the residential

 property owner for work completed by the contractor shall not be eligible for financial assistance

 under the Program..

        (b) A new section 6109d is added to read as follows:

        Sec. 6019d. Reporting.

        Within 60 days after the end of each fiscal year, DC Water shall transmit to the Mayor

 and the Council and publicly post on the DC Water website a report that includes the following

 information from the preceding fiscal year:

                 (1) The number of property owners seeking financial assistance under the

 Program, broken down by their eligibility under section 6019b(b)(1);

                 (2) The number of property owners receiving financial assistance under the

 Program, broken down by their eligibility under section 6019b(b)(1);

                 (3) As of September 30ofthe preceding fiscal year, the number of residential

 property owners with lead water service lines located on their private property where the portion

 of the water service line on public property is not a lead water service line;

                 (4) The average number of days DC Water took to provide financial assistance to

 a residential property owner under the Program, from the date of the residential property owner

 notifying DC Water of the replacements costs to the date that DC Water provided financial

 assistance to the property owner; and

                 (5) Efforts made by DC Water to publicize the availability of financial assistance

 through the Program, including a description of the total amountofexpenditures by DC Water

 on such efforts..

         Sec. 4, Fiscal impact statement.

        The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal

 impact statement required by section 4aofthe General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975,

 approved October 16, 2006 (12 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code  1-301.47a).

        Sec. 5. Effective date.

       This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the

 Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as

 provided in section 602(c)(1)ofthe District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December

 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code  1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of

 Columbia Register.