Feb. 5, 2015, I went to pay my mom’s water bill. I did so thinking it was due on the 5th of the month. Most of the time, it is due on the 5th. But today, I discovered it was due on the 4th, which would make sense if the 5th fell on a Saturday. I asked why the date was so unreliable and was told the date is set by Ms. Bennett. Cycle 1 is due around the 5th at her discretion each month, but Cycle 2 is always on the 15th unless the 15th falls on a weekend, then, it is on a Monday. Why not make Cycle 1 have the same rule?

My mother is 75 years old. Her eyesight isn’t very good these days. She can’t read the bill very well. I’ll bet she isn’t the only person like herself who pays $5 several times a year because of some arbitrary date set by someone without consideration of her customers. If 100 individual members of the system make this error in a month, the county water system just received a $500 bonus for the month. Why not set the date by logical rules? Why not just make it the 1st or 5th or what ever date and make it the Monday after when it falls on the weekend.

I was told to contact the board if I had a problem with this wishy-washy date. I tried. One of the two members I attempted to call has dropped his landline and gone straight digital. The other wasn’t home and his answering machine was full. I tried to find the names of the other members but couldn’t easily get the answers on Google. And the names are not listed at the Covington County Water Authority website. I checked.

There is a board meeting next week. If I can find someone to tell me when and where and I’m able, I’ll be there. This issue is a simple matter of making a rule and then sticking to it. I don’t really care what the date is, but for the sake of all of our citizens, especially the elderly, I would like for the date to be consistent each month.

Concerned citizen,

Cindy Martin