Utility Deposit
This post from the blog of the Public Utility Law Project makes me question the Jamestown BPU's deposit requirement.
posted by TM at 9:23 AM
Legal news & views from a solo practitioner in New York's Southern Tier.
2 Comments:
The BPU doesn't require a deposit on electricity. As the other blog points out, that's illegal. However, there is a deposit on other services, which is legal. But even that deposit is only enacted if you are a brand new utility customer. Here is the policy:
Deposit Policy
The Board of Public Utilities will require a security deposit for all Water, Waste Water, Solid Waste services as follows:
-- All new non-residential customers (those without any history with the utility) will be required to pay a utility deposit of $100. Customers having service with the BPU and moving within the area served need not pay the deposit if they have had not more than one disconnect notice in the previous twelve months. If moving into the BPU service area from a location served by another utility, the customer must pay the deposit unless they can provide a letter from the prior utility showing that all utility bills were paid on time for the last twelve months. In the situation where a customer does not receive all three of these services, the deposit will be calculated as $35 for water, $40 for wastewater, and $25 for solid waste, with a maximum of $100. The deposit will be returned if the customer has no disconnect notices for a period of 12 consecutive months. Simple interest of 1.5% per year will be paid on deposits.
-- Existing residential customers who have been disconnected will be treated as new customers.
-- For customers of the BPU receiving both water and garbage pickup services, garbage accounts will be paired with water accounts. Thus, at any given service address, the customer or customers with a water account in their name must also have the garbage account in their name.
I'm familiar with the policy, having been treated like a felonious debtor as a new utility customer in the City.
I'd also note that the pairing of water/garbage is a great collection method. In fact, the non-PSC regulated water service is a great collection method, since the BPU is quick to turn of anyone's water when there's a billing problem, since they never get in trouble for anything they do wrong.
See also: JPD, Parking Enforcement.
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