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Citizen Connection Feb 2020Each month, City staff will answer your utility and property questions in our Ask an Expert column. This month, we’re focusing on property maintenance with Community Services. The Community Services Division works with residents and businesses to preserve the health, beauty, safety, and property values of the community through compliance with City codes. Question: What kinds of code violations does Community Services enforce? Answer: We enforce the Denton Property Maintenance Code, which governs how citizens maintain their properties. For example, removing trash from your property, cutting your grass, and keeping your home in good condition are all part of this code. You can find the code at www.cityofdenton/CIS. Question: When a complaint is filed, does your office share the name of the complainant? Answer: Our office never gives out information that might identify who filed a complaint. Question: I received a Notice of Violation in the mail. Do I have to pay a fine? Answer: No. A notice explains the violation(s) observed on your property and what is needed to correct it. There is no fine to pay if a violation(s) is corrected by the deadline stated in the Notice. Question: Can a Community Services Officer come onto my property and look for violations? Answer: Only with permission or with a warrant from a judge. Question: What if my neighbor has a violation in their backyard? Answer: You can give an officer permission to enter your property so they can see the violation. However, officers will not climb ladders or other objects to look over fences. To send in a question for this column, email communications@cityofdenton.com. Ask an Expert: Frequently Asked Property Maintenance Questions Confused about how to properly dispose of certain items? Use the new Waste Wizard search feature (also available in Spanish) to find the best disposal solutions for hundreds of items. Proper disposal prevents recycling contamination, diverts waste from the landfill, and gives old items a new life. To use the Waste Wizard search feature, visit www.cityofdenton.com/recycling. Type in the item you are looking to get rid of. See options for disposal! For more information on waste collection, call Customer Service at (940) 349-8700. Learn Proper Disposal with Waste Wizard Dyno Dirt is a nutrient-rich compost containing no added soil, sand, or fillers and is an excellent soil amendment. For smaller gardening projects, Dyno Dirt is now available in 1-cubic-foot bags at the Pecan Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, 1100 S. Mayhill Rd., and is priced at $4 per bag. Pick yours up Tuesday – Saturday, 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. For questions, call 940-349-8290 or email monica.benavides@cityofdenton.com. For more information, visit www.cityofdenton.com/dyno. Fix a Leak Week Conserve water and participate in National Fix a Leak Week, March 16-21. Join the City of Denton Sustainability Department on Tuesday, March 17 at 6 p.m. for a water conservation and leak detection class held at 1001 S. Mayhill Rd. During the class, Sustainability will distribute low-flow fixtures such as faucet aerators and low-flow shower heads. By participating in this national effort, we commit to reduce the 1 trillion gallons lost nationwide every year to water leaks. For more tips on leaks, follow City of Denton Sustainability on Facebook and keep up with our posts throughout Fix a Leak Week. For informational videos on fixing leaks from toilets, faucets, and outdoor sprinkler systems, visit www.epa.gov/watersense/fix-leak-week. How to Read your Monthly Electric Bill You Can Now Purchase Bagged Dyno Dirt Reading a utility bill can be confusing and frustrating, so Denton Municipal Electric (DME) is breaking it down for you in this short guide. See the bill example below to learn more about the electric billing codes, and stay tuned for next month’s Citizen Connection to learn about residential electric rates. A publication of the City of Denton Department of Public Affairs ADA/EOE/ADEA • TDD (800) 735-2989 • www.cityofdenton.com Note: Your utility bill consists of several municipal services, including water, wastewater, sewage, trash, and electricity. This guide is meant to help you understand the electric portion of your utility bill only. The first seven numbers of your account number is unique to the service location. The last two numbers is the occupant code; this number changes each time there is a new resident at the service address. The cycle number represents the billing cycle and identifies the dates a meter is read and the invoicing process begins. The service period corresponds to the billing cycle. Billing days show how many days are being billed during this period. This is the meter number and should match the number physically located on the meter at the service address. City service type: E stands for electric. Electric rate type: R2 stands for Residential and the 1 stands for Single-Phase. The previous read is the number which your meter began the billing cycle. The current read is the number which your meter ended the billing cycle and will begin the next billing cycle. The difference between the previous read and current read should equal the billing cycle usage. Residential Rate Bill Calculation Facility Charge: $8.67 $8.67 Usage Charge: First 600 kWh $0.0684 $41.04 Addtl 245 kWh $0.0455 $11.15 Energy Cost Adjustment: $0.0341 $28.81 TOTAL $89.67 Facility Charge – fixed monthly rate that recovers costs associated with customer service, metering, meter reading, billing, and accounting. Usage Charge – fixed rate based on kWh that recovers costs associated with poles, substations, lines, and equipment needed for delivery. The Energy Cost Adjustment or Energy Rate is a variable rate charged per kWh to recover costs associated with generation and fuel. Meter number: This number should match the number physically located on the meter at the service address. City service type: E stands for electric. Electric rate type: R2 stands for Residential and the 1 stands for Single-Phase. Previous reading: the number your meter started at for this billing cycle. Current reading: the ending meter number for this billing cycle and the starting read for the next billing cycle. Billing cycle usage: This is the difference between the previous reading and current reading. Facility Charge: fixed monthly rate that covers costs associated with customer service, metering, meter reading, billing, and accounting. Usage Charge: fixed rate based on kWh that covers costs associated with poles, substations, lines, and equipment needed for delivery. The Energy Cost Adjustment: the variable rate charged per kWh to cover generation and fuel costs. Helpful Resources: Bill Related Questions – Email Customer.Service@cityofdenton.com or call Customer Service at (940) 349-8700. Report an Outage – Use the Engage Denton App or call Dispatch at (940) 349-7000. For more information, visit www.dmepower.com.