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PROTECT YOUR WATER METER

Winter weather is near and the City of Webster City would like to remind our utility customers to protect their water meters to avoid a disruption of water service and a bill to replace the meter (the meter is the customer’s responsibility).

As you are weatherproofing your home for the upcoming cold months, please remember to check your meter as well. If your water meter is in an unheated or minimally heated area such as a crawl space, under a trailer, in a basement or garage, it is likely to freeze when the temperatures get below freezing.

A few tips to help prevent the meter or water lines from freezing:

• Cover your meter and/or water lines with insulated heat blankets or wrap with electrical heat tape (both hot & cold-water lines can freeze) • Close crawl space vents and openings • Repair broken or cracked windows in the vicinity of the meter • If the meter is in a cabinet that is against an outside wall, opening the doors to the cabinet to let heat in may help reduce the chance of freezing

If you do not have water on a cold day and think your pipes are frozen you will need to call a plumber or try to thaw the lines. Prior to thawing, make sure you know where your shut-off valve is in your home in case the pipe would break. If you believe your water meter is frozen, call the Utility Office during business hours from 8:00-5:00 Monday-Friday. A meter technician will assess the situation and replace the water meter. The customer will only be responsible for the cost of the meter during regular business hours.

Customers will need to call the non-emergency Police Department phone number (515-832-9166) after 5:00 p.m. or on weekends and holidays to have the meter technician paged out. Although our technicians are on call 24 hours, the customer will be responsible for paying any OT charges, in addition to the meter replacement.

LOW-INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LIHEAP)

If your household is having difficulty in making utility payments you may qualify for LIPHEAP. The application period begins on November 1st at the UDMO (Upper Des Moines) Office located at 1610 Collins Street or calling 515-832-6451. Once qualified, the utility that is the homes heat source is paid directly, typically this would be gas but some accounts have electric heat. The applicant is protected from electric shut-off during the moratorium period of November 1 – April 1.

LIHEAP qualified customers are not required to make payments towards the electric portion of their utility bill during the moratorium, however the remaining charges are required to prevent water shutoff. The electricity used is still metered and billed and will come due when the moratorium is over.

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ELECTRIC SHUT-OFF POLICY DURING WINTER MONTHS

Shut-offs of electricity for non-LIHEAP customers will not occur if the weather is forecasted to be 20 degrees Fahrenheit or colder within a 24-hour period. Delivery slips will still be sent out and the account can be disconnected for non-payment when the weather warms up.

If you cannot make your payment by the due date, a promise to pay for a future date can prevent the $35.00 delivery slip charge. The call needs to be made no more than 12 days after receiving your bill to ensure it is prior to delivery slips being generated and delivered to the residence/business.

GENERAL SHUT-OFF PROCEDURE

We have received calls from residents that have been contacted by someone pretending to be Webster City Municipal Utilities with the threat to shut off within a short amount of time if payment is not made. Webster City’s disconnection process:

Cycle 1 Cycle 2 Bill generated/mailed 15th of the month 25th of the month

Due date in the following month 10th of the month 20th of the month

12-day notices mailed if not paid 11th of the month 21st of the month

Disconnect notices are delivered on Thursday’s and are posted on the door. If a holiday is on Thursday, they will be sent out on Wednesday. The shut-off day is the following Tuesday morning with Utility Office staff making a courtesy phone call on Monday, reminding the customer that shut-off will be the next morning if payment is not received by 8:00 a.m.

Webster City does not ever call a customer with the threat of shut-off within a few hours or demand payment be made over the phone. The only phone call staff makes to the customer for non-payment disconnection is the day before the scheduled shut-off and will typically be on a Monday. If ever in question, call the Utility Office at 515-832-9141.

PAYMENT METHODS

Customers can pay at the window, drop off at the night drop box located on the west side of the Municipal Building at 400 2nd Street, mail or use Bill Pay through your bank. Customers can establish their own account with Xpress Bill Pay to have the ability to pay with a credit/debit card or e-check. Our customer service staff can also process these online payments using a card or e-check.