Privacy Policy

Overview

Vista Hills Mutual Water Company ("VHMWC," "we," "us") is committed to protecting the privacy of our shareholders and members. This policy describes how we collect, use, and safeguard your personal information through our member portal at vhmwc.org.

Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information from registered members:

• Account information: Name, email address, phone number(s), mailing address
• Property information: Property address, meter readings, water usage data, share count
• Billing information: Invoice history, payment records, account balances
• Communication preferences: Email notification settings, SMS opt-in status, phone visibility preferences

How We Use Your Information

Your information is used exclusively for VHMWC operations:

• Delivering water service and maintaining your account
• Generating and delivering monthly invoices
• Sending billing reminders and account notifications via email or SMS
• Communicating board announcements and meeting information
• Providing the shareholder directory (with your visibility preferences respected)
• Processing payments through our secure payment provider (Stripe)

SMS Communications

If you opt in to SMS notifications through your account preferences, we may send text messages to your designated mobile number for billing reminders, payment confirmations, and urgent announcements. You can opt out at any time by updating your preferences in the member portal or by replying STOP to any message. See our SMS Terms for full details.

We do not share your phone number with third parties for marketing purposes. SMS messages are sent through Twilio, our communications provider, solely for VHMWC account notifications.

Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes. Information is shared only with:

• Service providers: Stripe (payment processing), Twilio (SMS delivery), Amazon Web Services (hosting) — only as necessary to operate the portal
• Other members: The shareholder directory displays contact information according to your visibility settings. You control what other members can see.

Data Security

We protect your information with industry-standard security measures including encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS), secure password storage (bcrypt hashing), and role-based access controls. Payment card details are handled entirely by Stripe and never stored on our servers.

Your Rights

As a VHMWC member, you can view and update your personal information, contact details, and communication preferences at any time through the member portal. If you have questions about your data or this policy, contact the board through the portal messaging system.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be communicated to members through the portal announcement system.