With the many issues facing a utility, the days of just operating and performing preventative maintenance are gone -thankfully so. There is more of a responsibility and opportunity to interact with customers and bring the utility to the forefront while educating a customer base starving for information. Utilities all over are being challenged to be in the proactive vein as the public takes its right to know to a different level. What is very evident is that a very concerned public exists whose thrust is to ensure that public servants entrusted with their health and welfare are imparting information as needed and requested to today's environmentally conscious population on a constant basis and in a timely manner.The City of North Miami Beach's Public Utilities realized that this was something that they had to effect and that it would be more difficult given certain geographic considerations. The City itself is a mere 5.2 square miles with an approximate population of 47,000 water and wastewater customers. However, the city's water and wastewater departments serve a water customer base of approximately 200,000 customers. What is evident therefore is that the usage within City limits is an approximate 24% of the utilities customer base. Educating customers within the City was a task in itself but reaching its total customer base presented a challenge especially since this involved reaching and staying in touch with customers who are a part of over 500 miles of underground water pipes. These customers had been served and serviced under the old paradigm. The Utility recognized that if we were to serve and meet the needs of these customers, and to keep them informed and abreast of issues pertaining to them and the utility, the old paradigm had to be dismantled.

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