(A) (1) A customer may file a complaint disputing a disconnection notice with the utility at any time either before receiving a disconnection notice or within three business days after receiving such notice. Complaints must be made in writing and mailed or hand delivered to the utility’s office at 111 S. Center Street, Bremen, Indiana; such complaint must be received by the utility within three business days after the customer’s receipt of the disconnection notice.
(2) Upon receiving each such complaint, the utility will investigate the matter, confer with the customer when requested and notify the customer in writing of its proposed disposition of the matter. Such written notification will advise the customer that he or she may, within five business days, request in writing a review of the utility’s resolution of the complaint by a dispute resolution board (DRB).
(B) The Town Council will appoint a DRB that will be authorized to hear and decide any customer complaints that the utility was not able to resolve under the previous section. The DRB may be made up of three members, consisting of one member of the Town Council, the Director of Operations and the Clerk-Treasurer.
(C) Upon receiving a written request for review of a complaint resolution, the DRB will hold a hearing within five business days and issue a written opinion thereafter. The customer will be notified of the time and location of the hearing and shall be permitted to present his or her complaint to the DRB. The DRB’s determination and its resolution of the complaint will be final and binding on the customer and the utility.
(D) (1) If a customer receiving service has paid and continues to pay all undisputed charges, the utility shall not disconnect any service related to disputed rates and charges while the utility’s proposed resolution is under review by the DRB.
(2) If a customer and utility cannot agree what portion of the charges in a bill is undisputed, to avoid disconnection, the customer must pay on the disputed bill an amount equal to one-twelfth of the estimated annual billing for service to be rendered to the customer; for a customer who has been a customer for at least 12 months, the estimate will be based on the customer’s average bill for the 12 months immediately preceding the disputed bill.
(Ord. 14-2017, passed 10-10-2017)