Utilities - Billing & Payment
Utility Policy
City Hall office hours are 8:15 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. Monday – Friday.
The City observes the following holidays:
New Years
Good Friday
Memorial Day
Fourth of July
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Day after Thanksgiving
Christmas
The City of Neodesha provides gas, water, electric, sewer and solid waste services to its residents. To sign up for these, a customer must complete a utility service contract at City Hall and provide a government issued photo ID.
Utility deposits are as follows:
Gas $ 75.00
Water $25.00
Electric $50.00 (residential)
$100.00 (commercial)
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Utility bills are mailed so customers receive them on the 1st of the month, if at all possible. A late fee of 10% on gas, water and electric is added if the bill is unpaid after the 15th of each month.
Delinquent notices are sent to those accounts which are past due. If an account is placed on the shut-off list for non-pay, a $25.00 ($25.75, including tax) service charge is charged.
You can have your utility bill automatically deducted from your checking account. You must complete the Authorization Form and return it to City Hall with a voided check or deposit slip to begin this service. A copy of the Authorization Form is available from the City Collector.
Reconnection policy following a discontinuance of service
Once the account has been paid in full at City Hall, service will be restored between the hours of 3:00 pm and 4 pm as time allows. If payment is received at 4:00 pm, service will not be restored until the following business day between the hours of 8:00 am and 9:00 am.
It is hoped that the City soon may be able to implement a payment via credit card system on a trial basis. During this time, VISA and MasterCard will be accepted.
(Ordinance 1498 - adopted by City Commission 6/13/06).
A.
GENERAL
1. Persons requesting utility service must complete and sign a utility service contract with the City of Neodesha and provide the City with a current government issued photo I.D. The City’s acceptance of the service contract constitutes a binding agreement between the City of Neodesha and the utility customer.
2. Deposits for Electricity, Gas and Water must be paid for each address where service is established.
a. Deposits will be credited to the account when the utility customer has 36 consecutive months of no late payments
b. Deposits still on the account will be applied to the final billing when a resident moves and in the case of a credit balance will be refunded.
c. Deposits cannot be transferred from one address to another, nor from one customer to another.
3. Each person of legal age (18+) residing at the premises shall be deemed to have received the benefit of utility service supplied by the City and shall be liable for payment whether or not the service is listed in that person’s name. Therefore, any person requesting utility service must provide the names of any persons of legal age residing at the location. Each party must sign the agreement and provide current government issued ID.
a. If a beneficiary of the utilities is unable to come to City Hall to sign the contract, the contract may be taken to that person to be signed. Any signatures away from City Hall, however, must be notarized. Service will not be connected until signatures of all beneficiaries are accounted for on the contract.
b. The utility account will be subject to disconnection of services should any of the beneficiaries at said address owe unpaid debts to the City. Unpaid debts shall be defined as utilities of previous addresses; court fines; ambulance bills; or any other type of debt to the City of Neodesha.
4. Furthermore, it shall be the policy of the City that any and all debts owed the City must be paid before service will be established. In the event a utility customer becomes delinquent on utility service, or incurs a debt with the City for any other reason, utility service may be discontinued if said debt remains unpaid after notification of amount due.
5. Persons requesting utility service must provide either proof of ownership for the residence on which utility service is being requested, or a rental/lease agreement for the location. The landlord’s name, address and phone number must be provided at the time utility service is requested.
6. Each month the City will read the meters for each account and calculate the amount due and payable from each customer for utilities.
a. The City shall make an initial demand for payment through the mailing of a utility bill. Payment of the account shall be due by 5:00 p.m. on the 15th of each month. Payments received after 5:00 p.m. will be considered delinquent and late charges will be assessed. The City is not responsible for Utility Bills lost or not delivered by the Postal Service.
1) Utility Bills will be calculated off of the reading obtained from the customer’s meters. If the customer’s meter is obstructed, a second attempt to read it will be made. If the meter is still obstructed a notice will be mailed to the customer requesting that access be arranged for the readers each month. No additional notice will be given. If the City is unable to access a customer’s meter due to obstruction a second time, an Inaccessibility Fee of $30.00 will be placed on the customer’s utility billing the following month and each month the meter is inaccessible.
b. Delinquent notices shall be mailed to all customers who have not paid by the 15th of the month. If the entire bill (including penalties) is not paid in full within 10 days of the 15th, utility service shall be disconnected. A Service Charge of $25.75 will be assessed to the utility account.
1) Only cash, cashier’s check or money orders may be used to have service reconnected. Checks will not be accepted to reconnect utilities.
c. If the amount owed is still not paid after 15 days from the date on the final notice the account will then be turned over for collection and/or to the Kansas Setoff Program which will deduct the delinquent amount from any eligible tax refunds or state payments the customer may be entitled to. The City shall add an Administrative Fee to any account turned over to the Kansas Setoff Program.
B. HEARING
1. Upon request, a customer may schedule a hearing regarding delinquent utility bills with the City Administrator or his designee. Upon reviewing the information provided, the City Administrator shall make a determination as to the outcome of said delinquent account.
C. DISCONTINUANCE OF SERVICE
1. Discontinuance of service can occur for the following reasons:
a. Failure to pay when due.
b. Violation of Ordinances, Resolutions or department rules and regulations.
c. Unsafe conditions.
d. Tampering, bypassing or unauthorized metering.
e. Subterfuge.
f. Denying utility right of access to the premises.
g. Any reason set out in Section 1(A)(2) & (3) above.
D. RETURNED CHECKS
1. First Returned Check: A notice will be sent giving the customer five (5) days to pay, with cash or a money order, the NSF check and a $30.00 NSF fee.
2. Second Returned Check:
a. Utility account will be subject to immediate disconnection without notice.
b. All future payments must be made with money order or cash.
3. Utility Deposits: Returned checks written for utility deposits will cause immediate disconnection of services.
E. EXTENSIONS
1. Each Utility Account will be allowed two (2) extensions per calendar year. Said extension will extend the due date seven (7) days from the 26th of the month.
a. Only the person listed on the Utility account may sign an extension. If said customer cannot come into the office, a form can be mailed or picked up by someone else, but the customer’s signature must be notarized.
b. The customer will need to pay 25% of the total bill to obtain an extension.
c. If the remainder of the bill is not paid in full at the end of the extension period utilities will be disconnected without further notice.
2. Medical Certificates
a. A customer requesting an extension due to a medical condition must obtain a letter signed by a licensed physician in the State of Kansas stating that the applicant has been prescribed the use of medical equipment and that the disruption of power will be life threatening. This letter must be dated within 10 days of the extension application, and is only good to obtain the extension. The letter cannot be used to keep power on if the entire utility bill is not paid by the end of the extension.
b. 50% of the current bill must be paid before the extension will be granted.
c. The extension will be for 30 days; from the 15th of the month in which the current billing was accrued to the 15th of the following month.
d. As with regular extensions, only two extensions per year will be allowed and may not be used for consecutive months. A new physician’s letter must be obtained for each extension.