The City of Salem is dropping two warning notices before city utility services are cut off to delinquent customers.
Effective with the July billing cycle, customers will only receive a notice upon disconnection seven days after their bill becomes delinquent. The notice will inform them of the fees and interruption of services. Two other warnings will be eliminated. One that used to be issued seven days after a bill becomes delinquent giving customers another seven days to pay along with a notice placed on the door the day before disconnection is scheduled.
Under city ordinance, a bill becomes delinquent the day after the ‘Due Date’ and will be assessed a three percent penalty. After seven business days of being delinquent, service will be disconnected. Once service is disconnected for non-payment, there is a $45 reconnection fee along with any fees associated with damage caused to the meter by the customer. The bill will have to be paid in full before service is restored on the next business day.
If an account holder needs to make a payment arrangement, the arrangement needs to be made before the due date and paid before the disconnection date.
To assist customers in receiving and paying utility bills timely, the city offers Online Bill Pay, Paperless Billing and Auto Pay through Express Bill Pay. It is available at Epressbillpay.com or salemil.us. City officials say it’s user friendly and an efficient way to pay and or receive your utility bill. There is no fee passed along to the customer for utilizing the service. Customers may also call or visit city hall as other options.
