Water bills are sent on the day of each month printed on a postcard sized form. Bills are payable on the 1st of each month and late after the 25th. Accounts that go unpaid beyond the first of the next month are subject to disconnection until the bill is paid in full. For example:
 

• The bill is received on July 29th. It is due on August 1st. After August 25th it is considered late and a penalty of $5 will be added to the bill. After September 1st the city can shut the water off until paid in full including the $5 penalty, a $50 reconnection fee and the current month’s bill.

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Water and Sewer rates are updated annually and are publicly made available at the beginning of each year. If you would like to know the current rates, contact City Hall for more information. 

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What’s Included on the Bill?

Your water bill has a lot of information on it! The left side of the bill details:

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• Gallons used and meter readings. The bill shows the date and reading from the previous and current meter readings. The difference in these two readings is your gallons used.

• Last Bill: How much your last bill was. Please note if the bill was not paid or paid late, the amount will include a $5 late fee.

• Payments: shows amount paid towards the last bill.

• Water Charges: Charge for water used. See rate information below.

• Sewer Charges: Based on gallons of water used. See rate information below.

• Trash Charges: Fees collected to pay for trash pickup and dispose.

• DNR fee: The Department of Natural Resources mandates a fee to operate our water and sewer system. This fee is divided by 12 and added to water bills as a monthly fee.

• Sales Tax: Some sales tax is charged for the water purchased per state law.

• Amount due by the 25th of the month.

• Amount due if paid after the 25th of the month (includes the late payment penalty).

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​Messages on the Bill​

Be sure to look on the front and back of the bill for important messages! Periodically, the city will print messages on the back of the water bill. In the past such messages have included, requests for public input on important issues affecting the city, issues with trash service, etc.

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Estimating Usage​

Sometimes, when snow, ice, or heavy rains make it impossible to read meters, public works will “estimate” the house’s water usage for the month. Most of the time, this is based on average usage over the last six months. Doing this allows water bills to be created that should be very close to what a property owner typically sees each month. The next month’s actual reading will help catch up the usage in case actual usage was greater or less than the estimate. Water bills will be marked when an estimate was used to create the bill.

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If your water bill seems too high...​

Please call City Hall if you believe your bill is unusually high or low. Occasionally mistakes are made reading the meters or you can have a water leak. Letting City Hall know your concern will allow Public Works to investigate to see if there is a problem.

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Water Bill Adjustments​

Contact City Hall if you think there is a problem with your bill (i.e. meter reading error or a leak). If the problem is confirmed, an elected official will review the problem with you and likely make an adjustment.

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Caution: If the problem is a leak, you will be expected to have it fixed in order to get the adjustment. Long term leaks or leaks that are not fixed cannot be adjusted.

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