To submit an online form for water and/or sewer utility service click here; or to download a printable form click here.The Town's utilities rates, policies and procedures are established by the Town Council and set forth in the
Cathlamet Municipal Code Title 13. For assistance or general inquiries about utilities and services, please contact Town Hall staff during regular business hours. NOTE: Public Works staff do not handle payments or billing for utility services.
For online utility bill payments click here.NEW CUSTOMERS & ACCOUNTS.New customers are required to complete a Water/Sewer Service Application and submit the required fees to Town Hall during regular business hours. If the service at your new home has been turned off by the previous owner, a $30 fee is required to turn the service back on. A refundable deposit is required for all new accounts.
UTILITY RATES.Unless a utility is abandoned under
CMC 13.10.040, the minimum monthly charges for all services will apply and are set forth on the right side of this page. A minimum monthly fee will be charged for each utility. Rates can be viewed by clicking here.
The minimum charge for water service is based on the meter size installed for your property and includes usage up to 350 cubic feet/month. Commercial and multi-residential sewer users are billed based on the equivalent customer units established in
CMC 13.80.120 which may be more than the single-family residence minimum charge.
NEW CONNECTIONS TO SERVICE.To establish a new connection to water or sewer service, complete the
Water/Sewer Installation Application and submit the required fees to Town Hall, including the new service fee of $100 for water. In-Town connections are: $3,000 for water and $3,000 for sewer. Out-of-Town connections are: $5,000 for water and $5,000 for sewer. For out-of-town service on the Boege Road Sewer Extension, an additional fee of $3,000 applies.
UTILITY DEPOSITS.The town shall charge the following deposit fees for setting up each utility account: For each water-only account: $100.00; For each water-sewer account: $200.00. The deposit fee will be refunded after one year of timely payment of utility bills paid in full to the town, with the refund automatically issued as an account credit; or refunded upon account closure.
UTILITY BILLING.All utility bills are
due and payable in full on the fifth (5th) day of the month for the prior months usage, approximately one month after the closing date reflected on the billing. (For example, usage for the month of January is billed on February 6th and then due March 5th.) If the fifth falls on a weekend or a legal holiday recognized by the town, charges are due and payable the following business day. If payment is not received in a timely manner, the unpaid bill shall become delinquent and a termination notice shall be given, informing the customer that termination of service shall occur no sooner than 10 days from the date of mailing of the notice of termination of service.
The amount billed includes a 6% tax calculated on the gross revenue of the water utility and a 6% tax calculated on gross revenue of the sewer or wastewater utility.
LATE FEES & TERMINATION OF SERVICE.Payments received after the 5th of the month are considered late. Water service may be terminated when any portion of the utility bill is unpaid and delinquent.
A late charge shall be levied against any customer who becomes delinquent, which shall be not less than $30.00. If your service is terminated for nonpayment, your account will be subject to a turn-off fee of $30.00 and a turn-on fee of $30.00.
NOTE: We are not responsible for bills that get lost in the mail and late payments will still be assessed a late fees. Bills are usually sent out no later than the 8th of the month and payments are always due on the 5th of the next month. If you have not received your utility statement by the 15th of the month, please contact town staff or view your billing statement online at Xpress Bill Pay.
UTILITY PAYMENTS.Payments can be made by mail or drop-box at Town Hall - 375 2nd Street Cathlamet, WA 98612; or by calling our office during regular business hours. Outside of regular business hours payment can be made online at Xpress Bill Pay or by calling their payment center at 1-800-720-6847.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR BILLING.All utility bills, including water and sewer billings, shall be the responsibility of the property owner for purposes of liens which may be assessed by the town of Cathlamet as provided in this chapter. However, utility billings may be sent to the tenants or residents of commercial or residential property under the following conditions: (1) A deposit has been made by the tenant (CMC 13.15.040), a current address of the owner of real property is maintained with the town of Cathlamet, which is the responsibility of the owner, and any changes in the residents or tenants of the property are made known to the town by the owner. (2) Such billing, once sent to the tenant or agent, will become the responsibility of the tenant or agent as well as the property owner, and each can be held jointly and severally liable for such billing.
FINAL BILLING REQUEST.Pursuant to RCW 60.80.020, ". . . the seller shall, as a provision in a written agreement for the purchase and sale of real estate, inform the closing agent for the sale of the names and addresses of all utilities, including special districts, providing service to the property under chapter 35.21, 35.67, 36.36, 36.89, 36.94, or 57.08 RCW. The provision of the information in a written agreement for the purchase and sale of real estate constitutes a written request to the closing agent to administer disbursement of closing funds necessary to satisfy unpaid charges."
WATER LOSS ADJUSTMENTS.Utility customers are allowed an adjustment to their water utility bill due to undetected leaks. If the applicant states that there was a faulty pipe and/or fixture on the customer’s premises which caused a large consumption of water, the existence of a faulty pipe and/or fixture shall be verified by inspection by public works employees, and/or by documentary and/or photographic proof supplied by the customer. If it is established by inspection or documentation that such faulty pipe and/or fixture has been repaired, a reduction of the bill for a single billing cycle to an amount that is the average of the same three months of the prior year’s billings shall be made, the amount not to exceed $300.00 in any case. The reduction provided for in this section shall not be allowed if such excess water consumption is due to a customer’s neglect or continued failure to repair the faulty pipe and/or fixture. Such a reduction in billing shall be permitted only two times in any calendar decade for any property (two reductions per decade per metered account, regardless of the customer responsible for the account). Each calendar decade shall begin January 1st of the year ending in zero and end December 31st of the year ending in nine (for example, January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2019; January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2029; and so on), with the date of each reduction based upon the date the application is received by the town.
ABANDONED CONNECTIONS.(1) Any connection to any utility governed by this title shall expire one year from the date of approval unless: (a) It has been activated and is a currently maintained utility account with the town; or (b) Was issued in conjunction with a building permit that is still active and valid under the provision of CMC Title 15. (2) If an active utility account is not kept current under the town’s utility billing practices for a period of one year, it shall be considered abandoned and any system capacity attributed to such a connection shall revert to the town. Once a utility connection is deemed abandoned the new connection to service fee will be required to reestablish service.
