The Water Company shall charge twenty-eight dollars ($28.00) per year for the installation and maintenance of a separate water meter for water that does not enter the City's sanitary sewer system. The property owner shall also pay the current rate for water consumed as outlined above, but shall not pay the sewer user charge for the water metered by this separate meter.
For more information on water and sewer rates, please contact:
Maquoketa City Hall
201 East Pleasant Street
Maquoketa, IA 52060
563-652-2484
SIGNING UP FOR SERVICE
In order to sign up for water service or to disconnect water service, you will need to stop in to City Hall to fill out the appropriate paperwork. When signing up for service, we will need either a $60 deposit or a letter of credit. The letter of credit can be from a utility or water company and must have been for at least one year of service, with the bill being paid on time for the last year. In addition to the deposit and/or letter of credit, we will also need to take a copy of the applicant's drivers license. Depending on the type of meter that is at the house, an appointment may be needed to read the meter.
RECONNECT FEES
If the water is currently shut off, a $20 reconnect fee will need to be paid before we can turn the water on and someone must meet us there.
MAINTAINING METER
It is the owner's responsibility to maintain the meter. If the meter should freeze and/or break, a fee of $78 will be charged to get a new meter. The fee must be paid before the new meter will be issued.
SNOWBIRD POLICY
This concerns our customers who spend the winter months elsewhere and wish to have their water service suspended to avoid paying the minimum monthly charges. In past years, we've had problems caused by our not knowing that someone had left town. In some of those cases, the customer was charged a minimum water/sewer bill. To try to avoid these problems, the City is asking for the following when one of our customers wishes to leave town for an extended period of time:
- The property owner has to inform the City of the date he/she wants his/her service disconnected so we can set up an appointment to have City Water Department Personnel shut off the water. If the property owner can't be present on the day of the appointment, the owner's authorized representative may substitute.
- If a property owner doesn't want his/her water meter removed, he/she has to sign a waiver at City Hall which relieves the City from any liability that may result from any damage that might occur due to the meter being left in place.
- The water service reconnection fee when the customer returns to town is $20.
BILLING PROCESS
At the end of the month, bills are generated. Water bills are always due on the 20th of the month, unless the 20th falls on a weekend, in which case they are due the following Monday. The day after water bills are due, the City sends out a 12-day reminder notice to all those people who have not yet paid their bills. This allows you twelve more days to pay your bill. If you do not pay the bill by the date on the 12 day reminder notice, you will then have your door posted with a blue notice. If you get your door posted with the blue notice, you will be charged an additional $20 and will have only 24 hours to pay your past due bill. If you do not pay your water bill within that 24 hours, your water will be shut off. If your water is shut off, you will need to pay the total past due bill including the door hangar fee of $20 and a $20 reconnect fee before the City will turn the water back on.
CHANGES TO AN ACCOUNT
It is the responsibility of the property owners and/or tenants to inform the City of any changes that need to be made to the water accounts. According to Iowa Code §384.84, landlords are responsible for paying the remainder of the bill that tenants do not pay, unless a landlord exemption form has been previously signed.
COLLECTION OF UNPAID BILLS
If a bill remains unpaid, the City will collect the amount by putting the amount on a new account, putting a lien against the property, filing a small claims or using the income offset program to deduct the amount from a tax return or lottery winnings.
WATER LINE RESPONSIBILITY
The water line from the main to the house is the responsibility of the property owner.
Back
City Departments