Every community has a municipal corporation associated with it. Municipality’s responsibilities include providing clean drinking water, sanitation (clearance of sewers, garbage, etc.), and the supplying of electricity. There are many policies and procedures defined for municipal utility billing.
Procedures
Any individual or organization has to apply for municipal utility services. The individual has to fill in his name, name of the spouse, residential address, contact number, and the personal identification details such as social security number or the driver’s license. The customer can also apply through an agent provided the agent agrees to take up the responsibility of the person on whose behalf they are acting.
One has to pay an initial utility deposit in order to avail of water, sewer, and electricity. This deposit is used as an instrument of security for the payment of the municipal utility bills. These deposits are not transferable between customers.
Responsibility Rewarded
If the customer has a good payment history, then after two years of availing the municipal utility service it will be credited to his/her monthly municipality utility bill. There are records which contain the consumer’s name, billing, service locality, present charges, and an account history. The account history comprises of past dues and penalties.
The utility bill is a monthly bill. It is usually combined and includes the charges for the usage of water, electricity, and clearing of sewage. Each utility is distinct on the bill and the bill of each utility is computed according to the specific rate ordinance of each utility service.
Municipal Utility Billing Cycle
The usual practice is to read the meters between the 25th day of the present month and the 5th day of the next month. The monthly utility bill will be served within sixty days after the said service is provided. The billing date is the date on which the bill is made.
The municipal utility bill has to be paid no later than the 10th day of the following month after the billing date, according to the policy. That final date is known as the last date of the bill. The late charges are added to the current charges if the bill is not paid on time. If an extra utility service is provided it is charged usually on a separate bill.
No Holiday Punishment
If a disconnection of a service is effected, the customer must be served a prior notice. The disconnection of any municipal utility service does not take place on the holidays. The customer must clear all their late dues if he wishes for a reconnection.
Saving Resources
Nowadays, the whole process of municipal utility billing is automated. There are many ecommerce software programs that make the process of billing fast, easy, and convenient. Utility bills can be paid from the comfort of ones home anytime during the year. This includes holidays as well. Environmentally, online paying of municipal bills is better than a manual payment. This is because there is no paper used.
Final Note
The use of software enables the process to be more efficient and reliable. It is because computers can handle much more data and be more accurate than a human being. These days, municipal utility bills are handled through sophisticated software.