Policies

  1. Minimum Bills
    All residential and commercial non-irrigation meters will be billed a minimum monthly water and sewer bill, even if the water is shut off.
  2. Utility Billing Late Fee Forgiveness
    When a customer makes a request to have a late fee waived, finance staff will grant the request if 1) the customer has not had a late fee waived in the last two years or 2) the customer signs up for ACH automatic payments.
  3. New Customer Water Meter Billing
    Water meters for new addresses will be added to the billing cycle in the billing period when the meter was distributed, except those distributed in the last 7 days of the billing period. Those meters will be added at the beginning of the next billing cycle.
  4. Utility Billing Refunds
    Upon final billing, any account with a credit balance of less than $5 will be written off to miscellaneous revenue and any account with a credit balance of $5 or more will be refunded to the seller of the property.
  5. Zero Consumption
    When a residential meter is faulty and has no past readings, the city will use the average of 70 gallons per occupant (minimum of two people) for each billing period that the meter recorded a zero consumption.
  6. Delinquent Bill Notification
    The City will not send out delinquent notices for utility bills. The one exception is in September when notices will be sent out to any property with a delinquent balance of $75 or more as part of the Public Hearing portion of the assessment process.
  7. Winter Averaging Policy
    The fees for water and sanitary sewer are charged on the same bill, and usually residential sewage is billed based on water usage. However, we recognize that some water use (washing cars, watering grass, etc.) does not go into the sanitary sewer system. As a result, the city has adopted a winter averaging policy for residential households.
    Based on this policy, the city bills sewage according to the amount of water used in the winter months (November through March) when almost all water usage goes directly into the sanitary sewer system. The city also uses these months to calculate average water consumption.
    During the months of April-October (typical lawn sprinkler season), the city will use the winter average water consumption to bill for sewer.
    You can view a copy of the full Winter Average Policy (PDF).
  8. Delinquent Sprinkling Meter Accounts
    Delinquent sprinkling meter accounts will be shut off until sufficient payments are received to bring the account to current status. Further, turn-off and turn-on charges will be applied in accordance with the annually adopted fee schedule.
  9. Water Leak Adjustment
    When the City finds the cause of an excessive water/sewer bill is the result of a leak in the customer's plumbing system that 1) was of such a nature and at such a location to not have been discovered with the customer's reasonable diligence, and 2) certification is furnished that such leaks were repaired, and 3) no such adjustment was made in the preceding 12 months, then an adjustment can be made to the sanitary sewer portion of the bill.
    The City will reduce the sewer bill by the amount which it exceeds the average sewer bill; if no history is available for comparison, the city will obtain readings to project normal usage or use the standard usage for a minimum of two occupants. Please see the complete Water Leak Adjustment Policy (PDF) for additional information.