<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<baltimore-city-law heading="§ 2-19 Office of Customer Advocacy . . .  –  Request for assistance.">
  <section prefix="§" num="2-19" heading="Office of Customer Advocacy . . .  –  Request for assistance.">
    <para num="(a)" heading="Request for assistance.">A customer may seek Office assistance by submitting a written or oral request to the Department        or to the Office within 90 calendar days of any disputed Water-for-All Discount Program        determination or other Department action or decision related to water and wastewater billing,        service cut-offs, or lack of notice of billing-related issues.</para>
    <para num="(b)" heading="Right to dispute determinations.">The right to dispute a determination by the Department before the Department, the Office, or the ECB may not be limited, except as otherwise stated in &lt;cite data-path="|24"&gt;this article&lt;/cite&gt;.  Thus, a customers may  not be required by the Department, the Office, or the ECB to do any of the following as a prerequisite to having the customer’s appeal heard:<para num="(1)">pay money to any party, including a plumber;</para>
      <para num="(2)">prove that DPW equipment is faulty; or</para>
      <para num="(3)">pay bills that are being challenged by the customer.</para>
    </para>
    <para num="(c)" heading="Publishing rules and regulations for public comment.">All proposed new or modified rules and regulations that govern or affect the operations of the Office or ECB or that delimit rights granted customers by &lt;cite data-path="|24"&gt;this article&lt;/cite&gt; shall be published for public comment and shall be posted online in both draft and final form.</para>
    <annotation type="History">Ord. 20-336</annotation>
    <annotation type="History">Ord. 20-468</annotation>
  </section>
</baltimore-city-law>
