Chief Executive Officer
Michael L. Thurmond
Dear Valued Customer,
Enclosed with this letter is the first DeKalb County water and sewer bill you
have received in several months. Your bill is based on the actual reading of
your meter for the January and/or February 2017 billing cycles.
On behalf of your government, I apologize for any inconvenience and
frustration you may have experienced due to failures in our water and sewer
billing process.
Systemic problems ranging from inadequate planning, staffing and training to
inefficient billing software, defective water meters and insufficient
DeKalb CEO
communication have eroded customer confidence. Although the majority of our
Michael
Thurmond
194,000 accounts have not been affected, the issuance of large numbers of
inaccurate water bills is embarrassing and unacceptable. Please be assured that correcting these
problems and providing exceptional customer service is the top priority of my administration.
In September 2016, staff members were instructed not to mail bills that could not be
independently verified as being accurate. Our inability to verify the accuracy of the 37,000
“held” water and sewer bills resulted in thousands of customers not receiving a bill since that
date. Customer concerns associated with the failure to mail these bills was compounded by the
absence of clarifying information and confusing explanations.
Please be advised that “held” bills will not be mailed until the root causes of billing inaccuracies
have been identified and corrected. Customers whose bills have been “held” will not be
penalized. When “held” bills are released, charges will be based upon the appropriate tiered
rate schedule. Upon request, extended payment terms with no late fees will be available for the
“held” bills only.
“Held” accounts will not be disconnected for nonpayment nor will they be assessed late fees or
charged a multi-tiered rate. If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact the
Utility Customer Operations Center at 404-378-4475 and one of our customer service
representatives will assist you.
On Feb. 28, 2017, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners approved my recommendation to
fund the New Day Project. This initiative is a comprehensive 90-day strategy that will reduce
errors associated with tracking of meter inventory, meter installation, meter reading and billing.
Greater emphasis will be placed on improving customer service and maintaining efficient staffing
levels. For more information regarding the New Day Project, please visit
www.dekalbcountyga.gov/waterbilling.
Again, please accept my sincere apologies for any inconveniences you may have suffered. We
have a lot of work to do. Our progress toward a resolution to this crisis will be communicated
through various media and posted on the DeKalb County government website. We appreciate
your patience as we work to restore customer confidence in our water and sewer billing system.
Sincerely,

 Chief Executive Officer
Michael L. Thurmond
Michael L. Thurmond
Chief Executive Officer, DeKalb County