Caldwell Utility Billing Policy

(Water, Sewer, Street lights, Sanitation)

This policy is intended to outline the billing and sign-up procedures for the Utility Billing Department. The policy includes procedural handling of refunds, account credits and collections for utility customers, as well as the procedural policies of the City of Caldwell Utility Hearing Board.

This policy authorizes the City to bill a non-owner occupant (TENANT). The Property Owner (OWNER) is responsible for all utility billings assessed to the property, regardless of the party initiating the service.

Section 1 - Sign-up (Initiation) Procedures

  1. Initiation of service can be made in person at the Utility Billing Department Office Located at City Hall or by Web at www.cityofcaldwell.org. Either a social security or driver’s license number shall be filed before initiation of residential service. Similarly, a tax identification number is required for initiation of a commercial account.
  2. New service sign-up will only be allowed before 4:00 pm for walk in customers. Website service will be 24 hr. turn around. Holidays and weekends are hereby excluded.
  3. A (non-refundable) new account fee set by Caldwell City Council Resolution will be charged on the first monthly water bill.
  4. Caldwell Utility Billing Department shall prepare and mail billings to the BILLING address provided at the time of initiation of service. Failure to receive a billing, regardless of the cause, shall not constitute a waiver by the City of Caldwell to receive amounts for services or penalties owed.
  5. Each billing is mailed out on the 1st of the month and due by the 21st. If payment has not been made by the next billing date, a billing statement (with delinquency noted) shall be mailed to the BILLING address. If payment has not been made by the delinquency date, on the tenth (10) of the following month, a late fee (set by Council Resolution) shall be applied, and all provisions of the shutoff policy (defined in current fee resolutions) shall apply.
  6. OWNER or TENANT may not initiate or reinstate service without satisfaction of all outstanding billings.

Section 2 - Deposits

  1. If the property resident is an owner, they will be excused from paying a deposit so long as they are the recorded owner on record with the canyon County Assessor’s office.
  2. All TENANT accounts are required to provide a conditionally refundable deposit at the time of initiation of service. The deposit amount may be adjusted by City Council Resolution. Deposits will stay on the TENANT account until either the customer or City closes the account.
  3. Deposit arrangements will be allowed under the condition the deposit is paid in full within thirty (30) days of initiation of service. If the arrangement is not kept water will be shut off the next billing date from the last day of the arrangement.
  4. Any person or entity with a history of non-payment or delinquent payments to the City of Caldwell Utility Billing Department or any department thereof, regardless of time, may be refused service or may be required to pay double the deposit amount, at the discretion of the Utility Billing Supervisor, Finance Director, or Public Works Director or their designees. In all instances, the delinquency(ies) must be brought current, including penalties, collection costs and interest before service can be initiated or reinstated.
  5. Dumpster deposits may be required based on amounts set by City Council Resolution and in accordance with policies proposed by the contract waste hauler and adopted by Council Resolution.
  6. At the closing of an account, the deposit shall be applied to the balance owing and any remaining amount may be refunded or applied to any outstanding balance the customer may owe.

Section 3 - Tenant Occupied Property

  1. A TENANT may not initiate service without satisfaction of all outstanding billings and without a signed Property Owner/Agent Agreement form by the owner, or its duly constituted agent, acknowledging responsibility for all billings.
  2. Either OWNER or TENANT may terminate service to the property under the following conditions: A. TENANT may terminate service if they were the party initiating service and the party being billed. B. OWNER may terminate services only if the delinquent balance exceeds the deposit, and as long as a Property Owner/Agent Agreement form is on file with the City of Caldwell.
  3. When a TENANT account is closed, and balances exceed the deposit, a notice shall be mailed to the OWNER informing them of the balance.
  4. If the account balance has not been paid within 60 days of account closure, services may be stopped to the property. Services may not be reinstated until the balance has been satisfied.
  5. If Owner pays a Tenants lot balance on their property, the City will waive any penalties, excluding water tampering fees, included in the balance.

Section 4 - Owner Occupied Property

  1. OWNER may not initiate or reinstate service without satisfaction of all outstanding billings.
  2. Deposits will be waived to the OWNER if they are recorded as owner of the property with the Canyon County Assessor.
  3. At the time of property sale, foreclosure or refinance, at the request of the title company or loan officer the City will provide notice of all account balances including TENANT and OWNER accounts to title company or bank.
  4. If lot balance is not covered after the sale of the property, the balance will be sent to a collection agency and not be held against the new owner of the property.

Section 5 - Sewer only or vacant lot accounts

  1. Properties connected to sewer only will not be eligible for an “Owner Agent Agreement” therefore services may only be established under the landowner’s name.
  2. Properties with a mobile home or RV connected to City services will not be eligible for an “Owner Agent Agreement” therefore services may only be established under the property owner’s name. (excluding mobile home or RV parks).

Section 6 - Delinquent Accounts

  1. All delinquent accounts if not paid by the 10th of the month will be charged a “late fee” in an amount established by City Council Resolution. All delinquent accounts shut off for nonpayment will be charged a “shut off fee” in the amount established by City Council Resolution To re-instate services to the property, all penalties —current and delinquent charges—shall be paid before service are restored. A re-check list will be generated one week past a shut off day. If payment is not made and the water is still off to the property, the City will read the meter and close the account. If the customer wants to re-instate their account after a re-check day, the customer will be required to satisfy all balances and re-sign up for services and tenants will have to re-pay the deposit. Customers on the shut-off list will not be eligible for arrangements.
  2. Arrangements for late payments may be made by Utility Billing staff or the Utility Billing Hearing Board. The Utility Billing Hearing Board meets every Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. at City Hall.
    1. OWNER may request two (2) weeks past the 10th up to the 24th of the month and must have six (6) months’ good payment history. After OWNER has acquired the history only three (3) alternative payment arrangements will be allowed in a twelve (12) month period.
    2. TENANT may request one (1) week past the 10th up to the 17th of the month and must have six (6) months’ good payment history. After TENANT has acquired the history only three (3) arrangements will be allowed in a twelve (12) month period. In the event a TENANT requests an arrangement further than allowed, written approval of the OWNER is required.
  3. Failure to meet a deadline of an arrangement, will be considered a broken payment arrangement, service shall be terminated, and a “shut off fee” shall be assessed. Three (3) broken payment arrangements in a twelve (12) month period will prohibit further arrangements on the account for the next twelve (12) months. All payment arrangements outside these guidelines must be approved by the Utility Billing Hearing Board.
  4. The City is not responsible for property or equipment damage, inconvenience, or loss of opportunity caused by service discontinuation or authorized restart in accordance with this policy.
  5. For accounts serving individuals with health concerns where water service is critical, an additional 30 days before service termination may be allowed. This allowance will require a written application with a doctor’s note and owner approval if the resident is a non-owner occupant. All other requirements of the policy, such as “late fee,” apply at the dates and times prescribed in the shut-off policy (defined in current fee resolution). Failure to correct the delinquency within the thirty (30) days shall result in termination of service. This allowance must be updated every twelve (12) months or earlier if the health issue ends.

Section 7 - Exempt from policy

  1. Manufactured home park owners shall be exempt from this policy. A deposit set by Council Resolution shall be required by all manufactured home occupants at time of initiation of services. The occupant of the manufactured home will be held liable for any delinquent amounts associated with the account. The City may pursue any lawful action in the collection of delinquent amounts against such person(s) or entities.
  2. Airplane hangars leased at the Caldwell Industrial Airport shall be exempt from this policy. A deposit set by Council Resolution shall be required by the person initiating services. If a delinquency involves property leased from the City at the Airport, the hangar or structure account holder will be held liable. The City may pursue any lawful action in the collection of delinquent amounts against such person(s) or entities.
  3. Garbage only accounts are exempt from this policy. A deposit set by Council Resolution will be required at the time of initiation of service. The account holder will be held liable for any delinquent amounts associated with the account. The City may pursue any lawful action in the collection of delinquent amounts against such person(s) or entities.

Section 8 - Credits

  1. Credits of $10.00 or more on a closed account will be mailed back to the customer. If the check is returned the City will make every reasonable effort to contact customer of the credit. After three (3) years from the check issue date, credits less than $50.00 will be written off and contributed to the Caldwell Cares Program. Checks over $50.00 are held for three (3) years, if the check is not claimed then the City will turn over to state unclaimed properties.
  2. Credits less than $10.00 will be transferred to the utility billing credit account if not claimed within 30 days of the mail out date.
  3. The utility billing credit account will be cleared out every year in September and a check issued to Caldwell Cares program.

Section 9 - Collections

  1. After a customer’s account is closed, the City will apply the deposit to the balance.
  2. A courtesy letter will be sent to notify the owner of any balance exceeding the tenants’ deposit and to inform them that the unpaid amount may impact future property services.
  3. The tenant will receive ongoing monthly statements, along with a collection letter and a follow-up phone call.
  4. If there is a remaining balance after the 60 days, the unpaid balance will be a delinquency “lot balance” against the property. The owner must submit an inquiry to the City Utility Billing Department to determine their property status. Additional letters may be sent to the owner/agent as a courtesy. To be informed monthly, the delinquent bills may also be set up to be mailed out to the party responsible for the property.
  5. Unpaid Lot balance on a property shall be paid in full to establish any new services to the property

Section 10 - Insufficient Funds

  1. If a customer pays by check and the check is returned to the City as insufficient funds (NSF) the City will charge an NSF (Insufficient funds) fee to the account of an amount set by City Council resolution.
  2. The City will send the customer a letter of notification regarding the NSF. The letter shall also make the recipient aware that if left unpaid, services may be interrupted if the account falls into the delinquent status.
  3. If a customer has three (3) or more NSFs in a 12-month period, the customer will go to a cash or credit card basis only.
  4. If a customer has an NSF on a check that was on a shut of day, there will be an immediate disconnect of services until the account balance, with fees, has been brought to current.

Section 11 - Caldwell Utility Billing Hearing Board (formerly Water Board)

The City of Caldwell Utility Billing Hearing Board meets every Wednesday at 9:00 am at City Hall.

The Utility Billing Hearing Board members may consist of at least 3 members made up of a combination of the following positions: Utility Billing Manager, Water Superintendent, City Engineer, Public Works Director, Deputy Public Works Director and the Hydrogeologist. At least two members will be present to create a quorum.

  1. Customers can meet with the board regarding any grievance or discrepancy within their utility billing.
  2. Board members will view and approve adjustments turned in by UB staff

Section 12 - Guidelines for Adjustments

  1. The city will not adjust the water bill due to any excessive water used in the occurrence of a leak or misuse of city water.
  2. Payment arrangements can be made on excessive water use due to a leak as per the Utility Billing Hearing board’s discretion.
  3. Water can be adjusted 100% over normal usage if the usage was in any fault of the city, line break or malfunctioning parts of the City responsible side of the meter.
  4. Sewer can be adjusted 100% over normal usage if the leak did not flow into the sewer system.
  5. Sewer revision can be revised throughout the year, if there is a decrease in water consumption in 3 consecutive months.
  6. A one-time courtesy late fee can be made in a 12-month period.
  7. Shut off fees will not be removed unless there is reasonable cause, attendance or written notice to the Utility Billing Hearing board will be required to state such cause.
  8. Garbage or recycling may be adjusted with prior approval from Republic Services or if a billing error from the city occurred. 12 months of garbage service can be adjusted, any dispute for more months to be adjusted would need approval from Republic Service and the City’s Utility Billing Hearing Board.
  9. Streetlights may be adjusted due to a billing error. No adjustments will be authorized for a malfunctioning streetlight.

Section 13 - Caldwell Cares

  1. Caldwell Cares is a program established between the Salvation Army and the City of Caldwell intended to collect donations from concerned citizens and customers to help those experiencing financial hardship to meet their utility obligations.
  2. The city will collect donations from citizens and manage the monies, Salvation Army will screen customers by guidelines set by the City of Caldwell and Salivation Army. If a customer qualifies for assistance the Salvation Army will notify the city to issue a payment in an amount to not exceed $250.00.
  3. Customers can utilize Caldwell Cares funds once in a 24-month period. The city will adjust off late fees for customers utilizing this service.
  4. Reference Exhibit A for full details on the Caldwell Cares Program Guidelines

Section 14 - Mail out and due dates

  1. Utility bills will be processed between the 25th -31st of the month and mailed out on the 1st of the following month. The utility bill will be due on the 21st of every month and if not paid by the 10th of the following month the account will be issued a late fee and be subject of discontinuance.
  2. Billings are composed of water, sewer, sanitation, recycling and streetlights.
  3. Water consists of a base and usage fee, sewer is based off a base and usage fee calculated on a winter average for residential accounts, commercial sewer is calculated off each month’s water usage.
  4. Sanitation, recycling and streetlights are a set fee.
  5. All fees in the water, sewer, sanitation, Recycle and streetlights are set by the city council, and can be referenced to in current resolutions.

Section 15 - Water shut-offs and turn-ons

  1. Delinquent accounts that have not paid their past due amount by the 10th will be shut off between the 15th and the 25th for non-payment.
  2. The UB department will provide a list of delinquent accounts to the service technicians of customers to shut off. Customers that pay their account in full by 4 pm will be turned back on the same day. Customers that pay after 4pm will be turned on the following business day.
  3. One week after the Shut off, the UB staff will provide a list of accounts still delinquent for service techs to check if meters were turned on or still off. Meters turned on without payment will be locked down and issued a meter tampering fee. Meters that are still off, a reading will be done by the service tech then turned into the UB staff to close their account.
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