NCAWWA-WEA Finance and Management Committee. Billing and Collection Systems. February 27, 2013

Transcription

1 NCAWWA-WEA Finance and Management Committee Billing and Collection Systems February 27, 2013

2 Background - CMUD Facts Serves City of Charlotte, Towns in Mecklenburg County (272,000 metered accounts) City of Charlotte enterprise fund customer-funded, not taxpayer-funded 746 employees serve ~ 796,000 people 3 Water Treatment Plants, 5 Wastewater Treatment Plants Treat, deliver 100 MGD drinking water Treat, recycle 76 MGD wastewater Maintain over 4,000 miles of distribution and over 4000 miles of collection pipe Water Intakes at Lake Norman & Mountain Island Lakes

3 What We Do? Monthly Data 3 billion gallons (100 MGD) of water used 450 water line leaks & main breaks repaired (~15/day) Approx. 30% of repairs are classified as emergency priority & fixed w/in 24 hrs. or less. 2.3 billion gallons (76 million gallons per day) of wastewater collected & treated 23 sewer overflows cleaned up & remediated (less than 1/day). Average sewer overflow response time is less than one hour. CharMeck 311 processes 40,000 citizen calls for Utility issues 24,000 field service orders performed by staff 272,000 meters read and billed

4 How we got to current state Pre-AMR there were challenges 5% growth rate per year 102% turnover rate for meter readers Began transition to AMR in 2002 Currently read 272,000 meters With 3 full time and 1 part time readers Perform 13,000/mo. meter reading related service orders

5 What Changed in 2010?

6 2009 Internal process transitions & conflicts; Drought ends & watering allowed; Rate increase; Customer complaints High Bill! City Manager evaluation in January 2010 leads to cross departmental team and 40- Point Improvement Plan Rate Increase Citizen Taskforce Formed Evaluation 40-Point Plan Meter Audit July 2009 Dec Jan Sept Oct. 2010

7 CMUD s Residential Meters 5/8-inch Disc Meter Pulse registers Absolute encoded registers (2011)

8 Why do we use these meters? Analyzing the industry studies of metering technologies has shown that the positive displacement measuring element is the most accurate instrument marketed

9 Study shows that all meters are not created equally Water Research Foundation Study

10 Study Details Research Components 18 U.S. Manufacturers New Meter Accuracies Low, Intermediate and High Flow Rates Tested Meter Type Number Number of Meters Meeting AWWA Flow Accuracy Standard Minimum Intermediate Maximum Nutating Disc % 27 90% % Oscillating Piston % 43 90% % Multi-Jet % 37 88% 38 90% Single-Jet % 18 75% 18 75% Fluidic Oscillator % 6 100% 6 100% Overall % % %

11 Why do we use these meters? Analyzing the industry studies of metering technologies has shown that the positive displacement measuring element is the most accurate instrument marketed This technology allows CMUD to have confidence in the recorded consumption and submit accurate bills to customers

12 Which do you prefer? #1 #2 #3

13 What is next? Currently CMUD is in a RFI/RFP process to obtain more information for the future of our metering system Using the 40-Point Plan as a road map, we will continue to strive to implement new and efficient methodology to our metering and billing processes This will allow us to further strengthen our customer partnerships, thereby instilling confidence to our infrastructure and business practices

14 RFI Solution Questions 1) Customer Assurance that CMUD s customer would have easy access to monitor and manage water usage 2) Cost A system that has the most responsible total cost of ownership 3) Data Access Ease of use for data analysis and reporting 4) Terms and Conditions/Service Provider Relationship Defined commitment to share risk and accountability 5) Technology Integrated, flexible and scalable solution that adheres to City standards and is feature-rich 6) Reliability A system that is accurate and dependable in field conditions to support a trustworthy billing process 7) Ease of Use Intuitive system for all users 8) Migration Lifecycle management approach that allows timely and affordable strategic transitions 9) Configurable and Compatible Reporting and user interface 10) Gallons and not CCF Reporting usage in gallons instead of the current hundred cubic feet (CCF) is desirable 11) Accessibility Reporting consumption to a future web portal or similar online interface, along with compatible methods to access data internally at CMUD

15 2009 to Point Plan development - Improvements made! Visits to other utilities including Durham, Clayton County Georgia, Chesterfield, SC, etc to 2012 Internal Stakeholder meetings; Pilot Studies of Available Technology Meter Route/Billing Cycle Re-sequencing begin analysis RFI and initial Upgrade Program vision development Issue RFI - May 2012 (8 Responses) Vendor presentations - July 2012 to Dec 2012 (5 Demos) 2013 More research January to March develop meter requirements February internal presentation of research/seminar March to June develop technology requirements April presentation at Technology Summit May first draft of scope of services Issue RFP to begin Selection Process - Summer 2013 Current contracts end - December 2013

16 Water Metering Upgrade Program Seminar Day Topics Included: Metering and Water Resource Management Conservation Impacts Non-Revenue Water Laws Working with other Utilities Case Studies CMUD metering today Potential metering strategies of the future Quality Assurance and Performance Management Questions

17 2009 to Point Plan development - Improvements made! Visits to other utilities including Durham, Clayton County Georgia, Chesterfield, SC, etc to 2012 Internal Stakeholder meetings; Pilot Studies of Available Technology Meter Route/Billing Cycle Re-sequencing begin analysis RFI and initial Upgrade Program vision development Issue RFI - May 2012 (8 Responses) Vendor presentations - July 2012 to Dec 2012 (5 Demos) 2013 More research January to March develop meter requirements February internal presentation of research/seminar March to June develop technology requirements April presentation at Technology Summit May first draft of scope of services Issue RFP to begin Selection Process - Summer 2013 Current contracts end - December 2013

18 Metering Strategies Future State What does the future look like?

19 Metering Strategies Future State Key Drivers & Inhibitors Historical performance of our current system The need for faster and more efficient meter readings, leak detection, faster reporting of consumption data Reductions in field visits, enhanced customer service High costs, prolonged return on investment, availability of infrastructure Undeveloped technology

20 Metering Strategies Future State Measuring Reliability Ongoing meter audits from random sampling Field investigations when meter readings fail validation Performance measures to be developed from current state baseline

21 Metering Strategies Future State Technology Integration Challenge of maintaining new and existing technologies AMR vs. AMI (How to interface /Advantage) New technologies lend to more integration between multiple systems (SCADA, Web portals, Advantage CIS, Service Suite

22 Metering Strategies Future State Water Bills What are the possibilities?

23 Ccf Ccf Ccf Ccf Current Services Bill-Bill of Future Joe Schmoe Alphabet Street Charlotte, NC Alphabet Street Charlotte, NC Joe Schmoe Alphabet Street Charlotte, NC Alphabet Street Charlotte, NC /05/13 02/25/13 $0.00 $ /05/13 02/25/13 $0.00 $ Your usage indicates that a leak may be present at your location. Please see the charts below for more information. $ $ Water Usage for 13 Months $ Water Usage for 13 Months $ /05/13 02/05/13 = 33 Days. 01/05/13 02/05/13 = 33 Days Dec Jan Dec Jan January 2013 Consumption Jan 8-Jan 15-Jan 22-Jan 29-Jan LEAK ALERT - Jan 22nd 0 02/25/13 02/05/ /25/13 02/05/ $ $545.98

24 Thank you Steve Miller (704) Customer Service Division Mission Statement We commit to provide quality and responsive customer care through seamless account management delivered by knowledgeable and valued employees"