Norris water customers who paid deposits will be getting their money back
Norris water customers who had to pay a deposit before getting their water turned on will soon be getting that money back.
During last week’s regular meeting, the Norris Water Commission voted to return the deposits – most of them $25 – as a credit on customers’ water bills that will go out in October, City Manager Adam Ledford said.
The total amount being credited back to customers is $10,350, and some of those deposits go back to the 1980s, he said.
About 10 years ago, Norris ended the practice of collecting deposits from new customers as a requirement of having water service turned on. But during the ensuing decade, there had been no provision for returning that money to the customers who are still on the city’s system, Ledford said.
Customers who moved out of the city and discontinued their water service were given credits on their final bills.
But those who paid the deposits and remain on the system – which totals 345 of them, Ledford said – were never reimbursed.
The city won’t have to come up with the money for the refunds; it’s already in escrow, Ledford said.
“The deposits have just been sitting in a non-interest-bearing account, some of them since the 1980s,” he said.
“If you move into Norris now, you do not have to pay a deposit to have water turned on,” Ledford said.
The city issued the following statement to the media last week:
“On Aug. 21, 2023, the Norris Water Commission authorized the return of legacy utility deposits to customers.
“In accordance with this decision, customers with legacy utility deposits will receive a credit for the amount of their deposits on their bills due Oct. 27, 2023.
“These legacy deposits, mostly for $25, were collected in previous decades and represent a program no longer in place.
“If you have any questions or further comments, please contact the City Office at 865-494-7645.”