Audit of Calgary's water utility billing practices addresses unusual spikes in residential bills

**Correction: The original version of this story indicated the Utility Billing Audit released on September 5, 2017 had been spurred by irregularities in the billing of ENMAX customers. The audit is conducted on an annual basis and was not a direct response to inexplicable spikes in the water usage of several customers.**

The annual review of the City of Calgary's water utility billing practices has identified three recommendations to ensure customers are charged appropriately.

The three recommendations, outlined in the Utility Billing Audit released on September 5, include:

• The design and implementation of a process to confirm on a sample basis that requested changes to water accounts have been incorporated into an appropriate and timely billing cycle
• The design and implementation of a process to monitor and review exception reports to ensure that possible exceptions are investigated, resolved and documented
• Determine an appropriate timeframe with ENMAX for providing reports confirming billing accuracy and timeliness.

City council will vote on the recommendations of the City Auditor’s Office report on November 13.

Earlier this year, several ENMAX customers received extraordinarily large water bills without explanation. ENMAX originally demanded payment for the entirety of their balance but, following media exposure, the City of Calgary and the utility operator said processes would be put in place to protect customers and assist them with identifying and fixing water leaks.

The City of Calgary has contracted ENMAX to provide meter reading and billing services for water customers. The water infrastucture within the city is owned by the City of Calgary.