Water Department

THE WATER AND SEWER BILLING PROCESS

The water meters are read once per month. We read all the meters from the outside of your house by a pad that is connected to your meter. The bills are mailed out between the and the 5th of every month. The due date is the 20th of every month unless it falls on a Saturday or Sunday. If the 20th falls on a Saturday, the due date will be Friday the 19th and if the 20th falls on a Sunday, the due date will be Monday the 21st.

The water is billed on a graduated rate according to the consumption registering on your meter. The sewer is billed at a flat rate under two separate rates. One is the DR, which is the debt payment for the construction of the sewer plant. The other is MR, which is for maintenance and repair on the sewer plant. The sewer charges are calculated on your water consumption. Example: 300 cu. ft. of water used is calculated thus:

3.00 x $3.6870 = $11.06 water charge

3.00 x $2.3337 = $7.00 MR sewer charge

3.00 x $ .4990 = $1.50 DR sewer charge

$19.56 minimum water bill inside the city

As long as there is a meter in a house and the water is on at the curb box, you will continue to receive a minimum water bill, even though you are not using any water.

To avoid paying minimum bills every month, you can arrange to have the meter removed and the water turned off at the curb box. There is a $10 fee to turn the water off and another $10 fee to turn it back on again. So if the house is going to be vacant for any length of time, it would be beneficial to take the meter out. And if the house is vacant over the winter and there is no heat in the house, the meter could freeze and break and cause water damage. There is a charge for a frozen meter of $45.