Marion finalizes new water cut-off policy

Marion finalizes new water cut-off policy

news@theeveningtimes.com

Marion water customers will only have one extra month to pay their past due bill or else the city will shut the tap off.

Marion water and sewer committee met to discuss ideas to revise its cut off policy for customers who haven’t paid their water bill.

Currently the city mails out water bills around the 25th of the month and bills are due on the 10th of each month. Delinquent accounts are charged a 15 percent late fee. However, in the past the city was taking about 75 days before shutting off the customer.

Under the new policy, customers will get a past due notice on the second month’s bill reminding them that they are delinquent and will be cut off if not paid by the 10th.

“I think everyone acknowledges that we are too lenient on our policy,” said Mayor Frank Fogleman.

“We have refined this a little bit and this is at least our working idea.”

Fogleman said they looked at other cities in Arkansas to see what their policies were to give them some ideas.

Wynne reads its water meters on the 10th of each month and payment is due on the 10th of the following month. They city charges a $25 late fee and disconnects customers who haven’t paid by the 25th.

Forrest City bills are due on the 10th of each month and the city cuts off 12 days later for non-payment.

Heber Springs water bills are also due on the 10th of each month and turns the customer off if the bill isn’t paid by the 17th. Crawfordsville cuts the utility off for non payment after the 15th of each month.

Fogleman said they plan to get software which will identify delinquent accounts and allow the city to print a bill with a noticeable “past due” message stamped on the bill to alert customers that they are delinquent.

“It will be something that gets your attention and notifies you,” Fogleman said.

“So when the second month’s bill goes out, if you haven’t paid you are going to have this past due message in the background in a color that will grab your eye.”

Marion collects about $2 million from water customers a year and writes off only about $10,000 on delinquent accounts.

Fogleman said they will likely implement the new policy sometime in the fall.

“We will allow plenty of time to implement it and will communicate with the customers to know what

Mayor: ‘ I think everyone acknowledges that we are too lenient’ the new policy is,” Fogleman said. “So when you get a bill and you haven’t paid it, there will be the first month’s amount, the penalty, and the second month. If it is not paid by the 10th of the second month, then the water department will turn the water off.”

By Mark Randall