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ABOUT “YOUR SERVICES”……. The City of Douglas offers utility services for water, sewer collection and treatment, sanitation collection, landfill solid waste disposal, and pest control. These services are available to residential and commercial customers located within the City’s corporate limits. Additionally, but to a limited extent, city utility services are provided to customers outside the corporate limits who are located near service areas. ABOUT “YOUR BILL”……. Utility bills consist of water, sewer, sanitation, landfill, and annually, the pest control fee. These charges are itemized on one statement for each utility service account you have with the City. The method used for determining the amount charged for each service is explained in detail later on in this brochure. Utility bills are prepared as of the last day of the month and mailed, shortly after the 1st of each month. CREDIT TERMS: Bills are due and payable upon receipt. If payment is not received by the 20th of the month the account will be deemed delinquent and a $5.00 late fee assessed. A notice of Delinquency and Discontinuance of Service is sent when the account becomes 30 days past due. Services will be disconnected if payment in full is not received by the 60th day. If you feel there is an error on your bill, you may contest it by contacting the Administrative Services Office prior to the 50th day after initial billing. The City does offer a Direct Transfer of Funds service wherein your utility payment is automatically deducted from your checking account each month. Please inquire in the Administrative Services Office at City Hall for the appropriate form to authorize this service. ABOUT “WATER”……. The bill for water service consists of three components: Customer Service Charge, Demand Charge and a Commodity Charge. The Customer Service Charge is to cover the costs of account maintenance, billing, collection and meter reading. Currently, the Customer Service Charge is $5.00 per month. The Demand Charge is to cover the cost of potential demand availability of the water systems. The Demand Charge is dependent on the Unit Capacity Value assigned to the size of your meter. The Unit Capacity for typical residential meter sizes of ¾” and 1" is 1.0. Currently, the Demand Charge is $28.20 per Capacity Unit per month. Accordingly, the Demand Charge for the typical residential customer would be $28.20 per month. The Commodity Charge is to cover the remaining costs of water collection, treatment and distribution. The Commodity Charge is dependent on the amount of water used during the month. To obtain the water usage, a meter is installed in your service line and this meter is read Generally, meters are read starting around the 20th of the month. It takes approximately 4 to 6 days to complete reading of all meters. Currently, the Commodity Charge is $2.61 per 1000 gallons of water used for usage up to 30,000 gallons; and $3.34 per 1,000 gallons for usage 31,000 and over. An illustration of these combined charges for a residential customer using 6,000 gallons of water in a month would result in a water bill consisting of: Customer Service Charge $ 5.00 Demand Charge 28.20 Commodity Charge (6,000gl/1000X2.61) 15.66 Total Water Charge $48.86 The total, $45.95, is what will appear on the bill as “Water”. ABOUT “SEWER”……. There are two billing categories for sewer services— commercial and residential. The two categories are identified because of the irrigation activities of residential users that are not generally common to commercial users. The intent is to base the sewer bill on the amount of water consumed that is contributed directly to the sewer system. FOR RESIDENTIAL USERS: The sewer fee structure consists of two components: a Customer Service Charge and a Volume Charge. The Customer Service Charge is to cover the costs of account maintenance, billing and collection. The customer service charge is currently $3.48 per month. The Volume Charge covers the costs of collection and treatment of sewage. The Volume Charge is generally based on your winter quarter water consumption average. This is an attempt not to charge you for the water used for irrigation during the summer months. The average is determined by your water consumption for the winter months of December, January and February. This average is intended to be an estimate of the amount contributed directly to the sewer system. This “winter quarter average” is then used to calculate the sewer fees you will be charged from March of the current year through February of the following year. For example, a winter quarter consumption history might be: December—6,000 gallons, January—5,000 gallons, and February—7,000 gallons. The average would be 6,000 gallons. Currently, the Volume Charge is $6.13 per 1,000 gallons of water used. This Volume Rate is applied to the winter quarter water consumption average to determine the month- ly sewer charge. An illustration of these combined fees for a residential customer with the 6,000 gallon winter quarter water average from the above example would result in a bill consisting of: Customer Service Charge $ 3.48 Volume Charge (6,000/1000X $ 6.09=) 36.78 Total Sewer Charges $40.26 Again, only $39.85 would show on the bill as “Sewer.” In the event that a winter quarter water consumption history is not available, an alternative method based on occupancy may be used to calculate the sewer fees. FOR COMMERCIAL USERS: The same sewer rates apply to commercial users as for residential users, but the method of calculating the fee differs. Generally, commercial properties have very little lawn or landscaping and the amount of water used for irrigation is small. Therefore, if you are a commercial user, your sewer fee will be based on the actual water you consume for any given month and your bill will change as your consumption changes. If you are a commercial user and you do use a material amount of water for irrigation, it may be possible to install a separate irrigation meter. For further information please contact Public Works. ABOUT “SANITATION ” Billing for sanitation collection services is dependent on the customer classification, available container installation, and pickup frequencies. Residential and commercial fees for collection of solid waste covers the cost of collection only. FOR RESIDENTIAL USERS: Residential customers are provided with either an individual 90 gallon roll-out container or a common dumpster, either of which is picked up once a week. Customers with rollouts need to place the container by the curb with the wheels in the gutter line by 7:00 a.m. on the day of pick-up. To confirm the day of the week your sanitation is scheduled to be collected, please call the Public Works Department at 358- 9750. The fee for sanitation collection service is composed of two components consisting of: Customer Service Charge $ 4.23 Volume Charge 9.44 Total Sanitation Charge $ 13.67 The total, $12.93 is what will appear on your bill as “Garbage”. FOR COMMERCIAL USERS: Commercial sanitation customers are provided with dumpster containers. These containers are generally picked up on the frequency determined by the customer and the City. The fee for commercial users is a Customer Service Charge of $4.23 per month, and $2.36 per pickup, with a minimum of one pickup per week. ABOUT “LANDFILL”....... The Landfill charge is assessed for the disposal of solid waste which has been collected and delivered to the Landfill. The landfill fee is assessed at $4.81 per pick-up. For the average residential user with 1 container picked up once per week the charge would be $19.24 and would appear on the bill as “Landfill”. ---PAGE BREAK--- Commercial users are also assessed a Landfill charge of $4.81 per pickup for solid waste disposal at the Landfill. The Douglas Municipal Landfill is located north of Douglas at the end of Kimball Street. Operating hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Saturday, except holidays. Currently all forms of refuse are accepted with the exception of car batteries, used motor oil, liquids and any kind of hazardous waste. If you have any questions concerning the Landfill and what is accepted, please call the City of Douglas Public Works Department at 358- 9750. RECYCLING INFORMATION: The Douglas Recycling Center is located at the Landfill. One is also located on Clay St. west of Gases Plus. The Recycling Center currently accepts newspapers, magazines, office pack including colored paper and paper typically used in an office setting, clean plastics, aluminum tin cans and brown and clear glass. Separate bins for each recyclable item are located inside the trailer. Items should be deposited in the correct bin. COMPOST BINS are located throughout the City, for specific locations, contact public works at (307) 358-9750 or visit www.cityofdouglas.org Finished compost materials as well as wood chips are currently available at the Landfill. Please inquire at the Scale House for any additional information. ABOUT “PEST CONTROL”……. The Pest Control Charge is assessed to cover the cost of controlling insects by sprays. The term “pest” includes houseflies, gnats, mosquitoes, mayflies and any other types of insects that are offensive and apt to carry and transmit germs to the detriment of public health, comfort and safety. At least once a month, during the months of June through September, spraying takes place to help con- trol these pests. Each place of abode and business within the City having a City utility account is assessed an annual Pest Control fee of $5.70. This fee is billed in July and is included in the billing statement received shortly after August 1st. The total, $5.70, will appear on the bill as “Pest Control”. Pesticides and spraying are not the only ways to control unwanted pests. Here are some easy, inexpensive ways to lessen the insect population in and around your home. 1. Empty all standing water. Buckets, cans and even rain gutters that do not drain properly are excellent habitat for insects to breed. 2. Keep trash in closed containers. Always put household refuse in closed plastic bags, and keep lids and tops closed on dumpsters. 3. Keep pet litter cleaned up and deposited in closed plastic bags or containers. 4. Keep grass and weeds cut. Tall grass provides shade and moisture for growing insect larvae, as well as shelter for mice, snakes and skunks. Many insects are beneficial, such as the lady bug and ants. For more information on these and other helpful insects and controlling insects in your area, contact the Converse County Agriculture agent at 358-2417. OTHER INFORMATION….. CONSERVING RESOURCES: We recommend that you monitor your water consumption. Even a small, undetected leak can cause substantial increases in both water and sewer bills. The effect of leaks as well as excessive water used during December, January and February, when residential sewer bills are recalculated for the winter averaging quarter, is particularly noticeable. Here are four very basic ways to conserve this valuable resource: 1. Check all faucets in your home for leaks. A continuous leak 1/16” in diameter can waste as much as 74 gallons in one day. 2. Check all toilets in your home for leaks. Put a few drops of food coloring in the toilet tank. Without flushing, watch to see if the color shows in the bowl. If it does you have a leak. Up to 100 gallons of water can be lost due to an otherwise invisible toilet leak. 3. Use automatic dishwashers and washing machines with full loads only, even if the machine features short, energy wiser cycles. 4. Water the lawn and garden early, or late in the day, not during midday heat. See that the water goes on the lawn, not on sidewalks or driveways. THE COST OF WASTING WATER Besides wasting a valuable natural resource, a leak could cost you the following in water and sewer charges for a month: Size Gal. Wasted Water $ Sewer $ 1/4” 394,000 $1,294 $2,415 3/16” 222,000 $720 $1,361 1/8 “ 99,000 $309 $607 1/16” 25,000 $ 66 $153 FOR QUESTIONS… If you have questions concerning your services, please visit the Administrative Services Office located in City Hall at 101 N. 4th St., or call 358-3462, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. City of Douglas 101 N. 4th St. P.O. Box 1030 Douglas, WY 82633 (307)358-3462 Public Works: 358-9750 M MU UN NIIC CIIP PA ALL U UT TIILLIIT TY Y S SE ER RV VIIC CE ES S G GU UIID DE E PREPARED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE BY THE CITY OF DOUGLAS