With the recent updates to the paper billing (sample shown to the right) and at the request of our customers, the team at Osceola Water Works wanted to further define and clarify the sections of the customers’ utility bill sent out each month.
Sample Statement Only. Not For Payment
Osceola Water Works has an agreement with the City of Osceola to bill for city sewer (SW), the city sewer surcharge (SS) as well as city garbage services (GB) to conveniently keep all local utility services on one, convenient monthly statement. With the new formatted billing, customers can easily see the itemization of each utility service on its own line.
Each month, Osceola Water Works staff reads customer water meters to determine the amount of water usage through that meter. That reading is compared to the reading from the previous month and the difference is used to calculate the customer usage using the current water rate table. The Osceola water rate table can be found on the Osceola Water Works Web site at: https://osceolawaterworks.com/rates/
A line item on the statement that is raising questions is the Water Excise Tax. This is not a new charge and Osceola Water Works is required by the State of Iowa to collect the tax on the sale of water on behalf of the State. More about the Water Excise Tax (WET) can be found on the Iowa Department of revenue web site at https://tax.iowa.gov/WET .
Paying your utility bill:
Osceola Water Works offers customers many different options to pay their utility bill. Of course, customers can pay in person at our offices at 208 West Jefferson Street. There is also an after-hours drop box at that location. Just as with the postcard billing, the new statement billing can be paid by mail or by logging in online at Osceolawaterworks.com.
For online payments, Osceola Water Works recently moved to a new bill-paying system called FrontDesk. This system launched on February 1st of this year and so far, has been a huge success with more than 700 users signed up for E-mail notifications and more than 350 online bill pay. We encourage all Osceola Water Works customers to enroll in our new online billing.
Benefits of online payments with FrontDesk:
- Pay utility bills any time with an easy-to-use, online portal.
- 24/7 access to account management including
- Review utility usage,
- Track multiple accounts
- Make service requests
- Review payment history
- Enroll in AutoPay with a credit card, debit card (2.9% fee for cards) or ACH information (no fee) to avoid late or missed payment.
- Customize notification settings to can receive emails or SMS texts from Osceola Water Works when bills are ready, when a payment is scheduled, and after payment has been processed.
- Access public notices, meeting agendas, minutes, and answers to frequently asked questions, so customers can see and stay up to date on important city-related information – all in one place.
