When are water and sewer bills sent out and due?
Water and sewer services are billed bi-monthly. The bills usually arrive the first week of every odd-numbered month (January, March, May, July, September, and November), and are considered due upon receipt. Payment in full must be made by the 5th of every even-numbered month to avoid a penalty (February, April, June, August, October, and December). The meters are read every two months, approximately 1 week prior to the bills being sent out.
Water and sewer bills are due upon receipt. However, there is approximately a 35 day grace period. After this grace period, the City charges a late fee and sends out a reminder notice. If the bill is not paid another late charge is added to the bill and a 10 Day Disconnection Notice is mailed along with our Policy on Discontinuation of Service for Non-Payment (a duplicate notice is posted on the door to the residence). If the bill is not paid by the date indicated or no payment arrangement has been requested, the City shuts off the water until the bill is paid. There is an additional charge for reconnection, the City is only able to schedule this during normal working hours. After hour turn-ons are available but require payment in full and a higher after-hours reconnection fee.
Example:
Bill for Service Period: 12/15/2019 - 2/15/2020
Mailed Approximately 2/27/20
3/1/20: Grace Period Begins
4/5/20: Payment in Full or Authorized Arrangement Requested
4/6/20: Late Notice Sent with $5.00 Late Fee
4/20/20: Payment in Full or Authorized Arrangement Requested
4/21/20: 10 Day Notice Sent and Delivered to Property: Additional Fee Assessed: Policy on Discontinuation of Service for Non-Payment included with Notice
5/5/20: If payment in full not received, water will be Discontinued; Payment in Full and Reconnection Fees may apply
Your Water Bill Explained
The Standard charges on your water bill include the following: Water Use, Water Service, Sewer, Captial Project Charge, and the Drought Contingency Charge. Below is an explanation of the various charges:
Water Use - This charge is based on the number of units of water used in a two month period.
Water Service - This is a flat amount based on the size of the meter and type of water service (commercial, irrigation or residential).
Sewer - For Residential accounts, this charge is based on the amount of water used during the winter months (Mid-October to Mid-February). It changes once a year on the April bill. For Commercial accounts, this charge is based on water usage. For irrigation accounts, there is no corresponding sewer charge as the water used for outdoor landscaping is not treated by the sewer system.
Capital Project Charge - This charge is based on the amount of water used between Mid-February and Mid-June. It changes once a year in August. This charge pays for a $5,000,000 bond for capital projects, and was approved by the Council on November 20, 2014, and became effective with the March 2015 bill.
Drought Contingency Charge - If it is a residential/commercial account then the charge is either $2.32 a billing period if the account uses less than the median amount of water used by other users or $6.99 a billing period if they use more. Landscape users are charged $102.14 a billing period. The Drought Contingency Charge was therefore established, and became effective with the April 2018 bill.
