Pay your water bill by credit card...
NEW! Pay by Credit Card! You can pay your water bill by credit card either at Official Payments Corporation’s website or by calling 1-800-2PayTax (1-800-272-9829). This is a secure website (you may have paid your IRS taxes here!). You will need your water account number (which you can find on your water bill).
To pay online, click here.
- First, click on LOCAL PAYMENTS on Official Payments Corporation’s website.
- Then, enter your jurisdiction code, which is 4246.
- Then, enter the payment type, in this case it would be Water Bill.
- Then, enter the full amount.
- On the next screen you will see the amount you wish to pay AND the convenience fee charged by Official Payments Corporation’s. The village DOES NOT receive any portion of this convenience fee.
- On the next screen you will enter all your information, including the Water Account Number, which is on your water bill (postcard).
- Make sure when you are all done you write down or, even better, print off your confirmation screen page information.
NOTE: The current water bills are due on or before March 29, 2010 without interest penalty. A postmark constitutes the date of delivery for postally-mailed payments. All credit card payments have a transaction time date-stamped into them. All credit card payments stamped as such prior to 6 PM March 29, 2010 will be considered timely. The drop-box on the door will be checked at 6 PM on March 29, 2010. Everything dropped in there after that time will be returned to sender if the interest/late fee is not included.
About Earlville's Capital Water Project...
Here are some questions and answers about with the passing of Resolution 28-6:
What is the total water project cost?
$3,485,000
How does that breakdown?
$500,000 in Rural Development Grant
$15,000 village portion – our out of pocket expense
$2,970,000 Rural Development Loan
$3,485,000 Project Total
What is the interest rate of the loan from USDA RD?
We will be selling serial bonds in the aggregate amount of $2,970,000. When they are sold, we will be repaying them over the course of 38 years with an annual interest rate of 2.75%. This will result in an annual bond payment of $127,602.
How will the village fund the new bond payment for the project?
Regardless of how the board decides to break that figure down (either in water rents or the general fund – a.k.a. taxes), the realistic cost to each parcel in the village is the following:
$127,602 New Annual Bond Payment
($51,950) Current Annual Bond Payment for $362,500 West Main Street Project
($13,000) Annual Sidewalk Allocation
($10,000) Unallocated Fund Balance
$52,652 New Budget Funds Needed
$52,652 divided by 368 taxable parcels equals $143.08 per tax property.
If it is solely put into the water fund, the cost will be $143.08 divided by two, or a $71.54 increase on each water bill. If the amount is added to taxes, it can be added as a set fee of $143.08 or added into the tax levy, meaning your portion of $52,652 would be based on your assessment. This has not yet been decided by the board. This also does NOT take into account the approximately 25 town residents that get village water. If you take the 368 taxable parcels in the village, plus the 25 town residents and divide that number (393) into the $52,652 you get $133.97 per parcel annually.
Has the financing been secured?
Yes.
I live in a rented apartment, house, etc. How will I be affected?
That is completely up to your landlord and the village has no authority to address your billing situation.
More Q&A:
Q: Will water rents be going up in 2009?
A: No, the Village Board voted to approve a freeze on water rents through 2009.
Q: Will my sidewalk be replaced? If so, how much will I have to pay?
A: If a water main (not a lateral) runs under your sidewalk, there is a very strong chance that your sidewalk will be replaced. You will not have to pay anything. As part of this project, the needed sidewalk repairs, bush/hedge replacement, etc. would all be fully covered; there will not be an out of pocket expense for homeowners for materials.
Q: What about the lateral to the home? Is that covered under this project?
A: No. Laterals are on private property and the amount of administrative hours, legal hours and fees, and calendar hours would be cost and time prohibitive to get the required easements, even if all residents wanted to have it done. Also, public monies cannot be used on private property (easements can be used if an emergency situation arises). There is a possibility of having the work done by the contractors with an agreement between the residents and the contractors, but as the project is still relatively in its infancy we have not looked in that direction yet.
Q: Why can't we keep flushing hydrants and continue with our current system?
A: Flushing the water system on a routine basis removes sediment and rust from lines and keeps the entire distribution system refreshed. The process of periodically "flushing" fire hydrants is an important preventive maintenance activity. We will continue this biannually even if the village goes forward with the captial project.
As many of you know, a result of the flushing procedure is that most residents experience temporary discoloration of their water. This discoloration consists primarily of harmless silt and precipitates and does not affect the safety of the water. If you experience discoloration in your water after our DPW/FD have flushed the lines, clear the pipes in your own home by running all water faucets for a minute or two. This will not completely correct the problem, but it will go a ways toward helping you to get back to clear water. We also recommend not doing laundry for at least 24 hours following a hydrant flushing.
This same philosophy of water line preventive maintenance is one that you should use in your own home. Your home's water heater should be drained and flushed at least once a year to keep it working efficiently and to protect the quality of water inside your home. Also, if you go out of town and there is no water use in your home for a week or more, when you return it's always a good idea to run all your faucets for a minute or so before using the water. This ensures that you don't use any stagnant water that may have developed in your home's pipes while you were away.
General Water Q & A...
How is the village water? Read our annual report here (this is a large 4.6MB file and may take a while to download, depending on your type of Internet access).
Will watering my lawn / garden / washing my car increase my water bill?
Yes. All water that comes from your home has been through your meter. Of course the amount depends on two main variables: how long you water and how much you use. Without getting technical, a one-inch diameter hose is going to use a lot more water than a sucker hose with just two or three pin holes. If you must water your lawn, it is suggested for your lowest cost to water at night (after the sun goes down) on a timer for a short time.
Can I get the fire department to fill my pool or use the hydrant?
No. If you witness this, please contact the Village Office.
Will a running toilet cause my water bill to be high?
Yes. Any leak in your home is water usage. Even what seems like a small leak can literally be tens of gallons a day. Depending on the severity of the leak, it is possible for a water bill to double or even triple. If you suspect a leak, it is highly advisable that you have it checked on.
*NEW! Can I pay my bill online?
YES! See the 2009 Village Taxes link above for information about paying your bill online or over the phone with a credit or debit card. The July 2009 billing will be the first billing cycle with this capability!
What is the late fee?
All water customers will always have thirty (30) days to pay their bill. The date due will appear on your bill. The first month that it is late results in a 10% late fee. The interest after that is an additional 1% every 30 days. So the first month it is late is the total due plus 10%. The second month it is late is the first late month's total due plus 1%. The third month is the second late month's total due plus 2% and so on.
What happens if I don’t pay?
As per New York State Law, if you bill goes unpaid it gets relevied into your property's tax bill and becomes part of your property's village taxes. Landlords note: the obligation of a water bill on your property is ultimately your responsibility. If a renter does not pay, the unpaid balance will be relevied into the village tax bill.
Can I pay in installments?
No. State law prohibits installments of water or tax bills, except if paid within the first 30 days due. For example, if the bill is mailed July 15 and it is due on or before August 14, you could pay 50% on Aug. 1 and 50% on Aug. 14. However, in this example the entire bill must be paid on or before Aug. 14 or any partial amounts paid up to Aug. 14 would be returned and the full late fee assessed.
What are our water rates?
The base usage is 0 to 20,000 gallons during a six month period (Jan. 1-June 30 and July 1-Dec. 31). The base fee is $82.50. Usage above 20,000 is billed $2.65 per 1,000 gallons. Currently there are no different charges for residential vs. commercial users or village vs. town residents.
Can I have my water turned off while I am away?
Yes and no. If you will be away for a short period of time, like two weeks for a vacation, there is no benefit to have your water shut off. If you will be away for several months (for instance you winter in the south), you can call DPW at 691-2353 to have your water shut-off. If you request this, the village is not liable for any damage caused by your water system not being properly prepared for the shut-off. Note, the minimum billing will be charged if you have water on at your residence for three or more weeks during a cycle.
In whose name is the water bill placed?
Water bills can be directed to anyone the homeowner wishes (i.e. tenants). However, the homeowner is ultimately responsible for the bill. If it is not paid on time by the tenant, a late fee will be assessed. Unpaid bills in March will be relevied into the upcoming tax bill.
“I never received a bill.”
Just like the Real Property Tax Law 9-922(3) of NYS: “The failure to mail any such statement, or the failure of the addressee to receive the same, shall not in any way affect the validity of the taxes or interest prescribed by law with respect thereto,” even if you do not receive a tax or water bill, it is still your responsibility to pay it. Water bills are mailed around the middle to end of January, and middle to end of July. If you have not received a bill by February 10th or August 10th, it is highly advised that you contact the Village Office. You do NOT need to have your original bill to pay the amount due.
What is the average water bill?
Our billing for July 1 – Dec. 31, 2008 included:
Average Gallons 21,246.5
Average Bill $99.14
Standard Deviation of $82.50 - $131.64
High Bill $311.46
Is there fluoride in the village water?
No. At this time we do not treat our water with fluoride.
My water is brown.
The village flushes fire hydrants periodically for system maintenance. When we conduct this exercise, it usually stirs up sediment in the water lines and causes brown or rusty water to come out of your tap. The brown, rusty water will not harm you and it should go away in a short time. If this occurs, we recommend that you leave your tap running for a short period of time until the water runs clear (a couple of minutes). It is best to avoid washing white clothes while you have brown water. Because we use the standard practice of chlorine for disinfection, our cast iron pipes react with the chlorine to create iron corrosion and ultimately what you see as rust.
Comparable Water Rates...
A comparative study of water and sewer rates from across New York State was compiled by NYCOM. Attached here is a PDF of the rates of municipalities similar to Earlville in terms of number of users. It is important to note that although Earlville is slightly above the average for inside users (i.e. village residents), the rate is considerably below the average for outside users (i.e. town residents). Also, the rates listed for other municipalities are for residential customers only, most of them charge a seperate and higher rate for commercial accounts. Earlville has just one rate for all users.
