Reporter – Leigh Hester – City of Henderson water customers who are chronically late paying their water bills have a wake-up call coming.
During the August 8 meeting, Council members unanimously agreed that, starting November 10, any Henderson water customer more than 30 days late paying their water bill will have their service discontinued. Once a customer’s water is cut off for nonpayment, the customer will have to fork over a $150 security deposit in addition to the $12 late fee and a $25 reconnection fee.
“This will have an impact on some of our customers,” City Manager Ray Griffin said during the meeting. However, 26% of the city’s water customers are delinquent in paying their water bills. “Some customers are paying older water bills and allowing the current one to lapse each month, and they stay perpetually in debt,” Griffin stated.
The amendment to city ordinance changes the cutoff date from two months unpaid arrears to about thirty days. Customers will receive notice via flyers in their monthly bills, and Henderson will post information about the change on their website and in the payment lobby at the Finance Department.
New customers will be required to post the $150 security deposit before water, sewer and sanitation service is activated. They also have the option to provide a letter from their previous water and sewer provider stating that they kept their account in good standing, and Henderson will waive the deposit.
Current water, sewer, and sanitation customers with accounts in good standing will not be required to post the security deposit.
An amendment was considered regarding automatic $75 fee on a customers sanitation bill if their Waste Industries supplied trash can is lost or stolen to cover the cost of a replacement bin, however that amendment did not get approved and has been tabled for future discussion.