DEKALB COUNTY, GA — The DeKalb County Commission is set to vote Tuesday on a proposed “Water Customer Bill of Rights,” aimed at giving residents stronger protections and more transparency in the county’s billing system.
Commissioner Ted Terry, who is sponsoring the measure, says the proposal guarantees customers seven key rights, including the ability to dispute a bill, request a review, and have their case heard by an independent water customer advocate.
“We want fairness in billing and we also want every DeKalb County water customer to know that if they have a dispute in their bill they have a right to dispute it, and they also have the right to seek support from the water customer advocates, a new office that we created here in DeKalb County,” Terry said.
The Office of Water Customer Advocacy, approved earlier this year and operated through the National Urban League, is expected to be fully staffed by the end of the year. Terry says the goal is to help ratepayers “get good outcomes on bill disputes” after nearly a decade of unpaid and delinquent accounts that have affected about half of DeKalb’s water customers.
The seven-point Bill of Rights would appear on every county water bill to keep protections visible and accessible to customers. Terry also supports adding income-based billing options and shutoff protections for residents struggling to pay.
The vote comes as DeKalb implements its “Ten by Ten” plan, which raises water rates by 10% each year for the next decade. The first increase has already taken effect, with the second scheduled to begin in the new year.
Terry says DeKalb is believed to be only the third jurisdiction in the nation to establish an office dedicated to water customer advocacy.
WSB’s Veronica Waters contributed to this story