Utility Service Policy

The following City of Harrah / Harrah Public Works Authority policy regarding utility services, utility payments, late charge penalties and service connection/disconnections was adopted by the authorized governmental bodies of the aforementioned entities on the 15th day of December 2011. Said policy amends any and all previous policies pertaining to utility services, which at the present time are noted as all water, sewer and trash services. All charges/fees for the above mentioned services are fully disclosed in the City of Harrah/Harrah Public Works Authority Fee Schedule, and are subject to review and/or modification at such time the respective governing body deems necessary.

  1. All water and sewer accounts require a security deposit as described in the above mentioned fee schedule, prior to the connection of service(s). A non-refundable administrative fee is charged at the time the security deposit is accepted. Services are connected at the service location as soon as possible following receipt of the security deposit.
  2. Utility bills are mailed to customers via the United States Postal Service, or emailed (an option of the customer) to the customer via an appropriate email host, on or before the last day of each month, unless unforeseen circumstances prevent the mailing/emailing. If you do not receive your bill in a reasonable amount of time – you can call for a balance due or check with the post office for any issues.
  3. Utility bills are due upon receipt and become delinquent after 5:00 pm on the 15th day of each month. A late charge penalty will be applied to all delinquent accounts as of 5:01 pm on the 15th day of each month.
  4. In the event the 15th day of the month falls on a weekend or a holiday, payments will be accepted without penalty until 5:00 pm on the first business day following the 15th, at which time the late fee penalties will then be applied.
  5. In the event payment is made on an account prior to the 15th but the payment is returned and the balance goes unresolved after the 15th, the late charge penalty will be assessed in addition to the fee for a returned or unpaid item charge also noted in the above mentioned adopted fee schedule.
  6. Following the assessment of the late charge penalty, a delinquent notice will be mailed to those customers with delinquent balances. The delinquent notice will state the date that services will be disconnected.
  7. Disconnection of services will begin at 8:00 am on the date specified on the Delinquent Notice on any balance over $30.00. At this same time all delinquent accounts over $30.00 will be assessed a PENALTY per the fee schedule. In order to restore services following disconnection due to a delinquent balance, the account (including late charge penalties) must be paid in full as well as the Penalty. The Penalty is disclosed in the adopted fee schedule mentioned above.
  8. If a customer has extenuating circumstances preventing them from bringing his/her account into good standing prior to the disconnection date, an extension may be granted. Extensions are only granted one (1) time in a twelve (12) month period; and an extension will not be granted past the end of the month in question; and any extension will be subject to City Manager approval. The penalty still applies.
  9. When a customer moves to a different location within the service area, their security deposit may be transferred. If a customer moves beyond the service area, their security deposit will be applied to their final bill and a bill for the balance of their account will be sent to the forwarding address provided by the customer. Any refunds due to the customer will be processed within thirty (30) days of the final bill.
  10. Any customer having a delinquent account (past or present) must pay the balance in full (bring the account into good standing) before a security deposit can be accepted and any services can be rendered.
  11. Any account that has 2 returned payments (whether by check or draft) within a 12 month period will be required to make all future payments with cash, debit/credit card, or money order.
  12. Any account with no payment for more than 2 months and no water usage for the past month will be cancelled and any deposit applied to unpaid balance due. A new deposit at current rate along with any unpaid balance will be required to restart service.