(A) Billing. Bills shall be prepared monthly for each billing cycle. Consumption on your bill is calculated from the consumption cycle of the 16th day of the previous month to the 16th day of the current month. Utility bills for the current billing cycle will be mailed to customers on the last day of the month. In the instance the last day of the month falls on a weekend day or holiday, utility bills will be mailed out on the previous workday.
(B) Customer billing information. Due to North Carolina Privacy Act laws and Council adoption, the City of Lowell is only allowed to discuss account information with the person whose name is on the account unless the account owner has given us permission to discuss with someone else.
(C) Due date. Bills are due by 5:00 p.m. on the 15th of each month. If the 15th day falls on a holiday or non-business day, payment is due by 5:00 p.m. the following business day.
(D) Late fees. A late fee of $5 will be applied to any unpaid utility account after 5:00 p.m. on the 15th day of the month.
(E) Payment options. Utility payments may be paid by check, money order, cash, or by debit/credit cards. The City of Lowell does not honor post marked mail or checks for utility payments.
(F) Payment extensions. The City of Lowell does not offer payment extensions for past due balances.
(G) Liability. Once a utility bill has been placed in the mail or dropped off at the post office, the city is no longer responsible for that utility bill. Payment for that utility bill is due to the city even if the customer does not receive it in the mail.
(H) Late notification. Late notifications will not be mailed to customers. Customers will be responsible for payment in full on their account by 8:00 a.m. on the 25th of the month in order to avoid interruption of service.
(I) Minimum billing. If an account is considered "Active" it will be billed monthly even if the customer shows no water consumption. The minimum billing rate is charged for "0" to "1,500" gallons.
(Ord. passed 3-13-2017)