Billing and Payment Questions

1. Where can I come to pay my bill?
1. Customer may make their payment in person at the City Hall building on the 1^st floor. City Hall is located at 101 W 3^rd Street.

2. What are the hours of operation?
1. The office hours are from 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. 
2. The Call Center hours are from 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

3. How can I contact someone about my bill?
1. The Call Center phone number is 333-3550.

4. What pay methods can I use to pay my bill?
1. You may pay your bill by phone with a credit or debit card. We accept Visa and Master Card.
2. You may pay in person or by mail with a check, money order, and/or a credit or debit card. We accept Visa and Master Card.
3. If mailing the payments with your payment stub mail to our lockbox:

City of Dayton
            PO BOX 740575
            Cincinnati, Ohio 45263-0575

**We do not recommend mailing payments within 1 week of your to shut off date**

5. What are the charges on my bill?
1. Waste Disposal – the charges assessed for having your trash removed from the property.
2. Waste Container – the charges assessed for having the green trash can/s.
3. Well Field – the charges assessed for the protection of our drinking water.
4. Water - the charges assessed for the consumption of water.
5. Storm – the charges assessed for the water runoff from snow and rain that is regulated by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. (EPA) 
6. Sewer - the charges assessed for maintaining the City of Dayton’s Sewer System.
7. Net Amount – the discounted amount if paid by the Net Date.
8. Gross Amount – the non-discounted amount if paid after the Net Date.
9. Shut Off fee – the administrative fee applied to the account once it is in a Shut off status.
10. Water Theft charge – a fee assessed to the account when water consumptions continue after the water has been shut off at the curb stop by the City of Dayton.
11. Shop Fee – a fee assessed to the account when Water Distribution has to turn off the water.
12. Set Fee – a fee for having a meter set at the property.
13. Abandon/Lost/Meter Fee - a fee assessed to account when we can’t access the meter or the meter is missing.
14. Frozen/Dead Meter Fee – a fee assessed to account when the meter has stopped registering.
15. Bad Check Fee – a fee assessed when a check is returned for non-payment.
16. Backflow Charges - a fee assessed by Water Engineering for the reversal of the flow of water in service.
17. Encoder Request Fee – a fee assessed when an Encoder is installed at a property.
18. Meter Test Fee – a fee assessed when a meter passes a meter test. 
19. Meter Register Test Fee - a fee assessed when a meter register tape passes a register test.

6. Can my payment date be changed?
1. No. The payment date is based upon routes.

7. Why do I receive a bill when the water is off?
1. If a meter is located at the property there will be minimum quarterly charges based upon the size of the meter and Estimated Bills will be produced if an Actual Read is not acquired. A customer can request the meter to be removed and will only be charged storm charges on the account if the waste container is removed by contacting the Call Center at 333-3550.

8. Why do I have to pay for a bill that was at the property prior to me owning/renting the property?
1. The City of Dayton Rules and Regulations state that the water bill stays with the property. If you have purchased a home through a Sheriff’s sale you may be able to have some of the charges removed, please contact our Call Center at 333-3550.

9. How can a change be made so that the previous tenant or previous owner has to pay a previous bill?
1. A vote would have to be passed to make the changed through the City Commissioners.

10. Do you offer payment plans?
1. A payment plan can be granted, but are based upon the account history and status.
2. An owner can request that a tenant not be allowed a payment plan because the bill remains with the property.
3. A block can be placed on the account if the account has a BAD CHECK.

11. Can I get a duplicate bill?
1. Yes we can mail, fax or email a copy of your bill.

12. Will I receive a bill if there is a credit balance on my account?
1. No. Invoices are not created if there is a credit balance on the account.

13. What is a minimum bill?
1. If the meter is at a property and no water is consumed the bill will reflect the minimum water and sewer charges, waste disposal and container fees and well field charges. (Please see Current Water and Sewer rates)
2. If the home is vacant the customer can request to remove the meter and may only incur storm charges. (Waste and Container Charges may continue if the customer requests)

Meter Questions 

1. How often do you read the meter?

a. We are required to read the meter once in a 12 month period, but attempt to read the meter each quarter.

2. Can my water be turned off if the meter is not read?
1. Yes. The water can be turned off if the meter is not read by a Water Service Representative with the City of Dayton in a 12 month period. Customers may call in 48 hours prior to the shut off to have the meter read. Customers may also request an Encoder be installed.

**There is a one-time installation fee for the Encoder**

3. What timeframes can I schedule a meter read?
1. The meter can be scheduled for a reading as listed below:

·         8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

·         12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

·         3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

·         5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

**We do not offer a call before coming to the appointment**

4. Where do I call for new service? Or new construction?
1. New Service can be established by coming into our office at 101 W 3^rd street or by calling our Call Center at 333-3550. You will need to provide your name, address, mailing address, phone number & social security number.
2. No down payment is required.
3. If the service is off, and there is a delinquent balance. The payment of the balance is required to have service restored.
4. New Service for new construction requires contacting our Water Engineering Department at 333-6804 or 333-3725 to place your request.

5. What are Actual, Estimate, Owner and Final reads?
1. An Actual Read is the result of the City of Dayton’s read obtained by a Water Service Representative.
2. An Estimated Read is an average of previous reads and is entered on the account when an Actual Read can’t be obtained.
3. An Owner’s Read is entered into our system by a read that is given by the tenant/owner of the property. After entered, it will appear in our system as an Estimated Bill.
4. A Final Read is a read that is requested by the owner/ tenant when moving in or out of a property to record the consumption prior to a new tenant/ owner moving in. The read is completed by a City of Dayton’s Meter Reader.

6. Can my read date be changed?
1. No. The read date is based upon prescheduled routes. If your read is missed, you can call and schedule a “special” read or call in an Owner’s read.

7. How do I read my meter?
1. The meter should have 4 white boxes and 2 black boxes. You only read the white boxes from left to right. Below is and example. The read would be 950; the last two boxes with the 5 and 6 would be located in the black boxes and not needed for the read.    

0

9

5

0

5

6

 

Other Questions 

1. Does the City of Dayton provide a service to check for leaks?

a.   Yes. We can send a Water Service Representative out to a property to perform a service investigation. However, we need to make sure we schedule a read prior to the investigation. This will allow us to view the consumption of water from the last actual read to the current read helping us to see if the consumption is high. If the read returns a read substantially higher than previous reads, we would then send the technician out. **The investigation is provided as a customer service and is not necessarily a complete comprehensive investigation. **

2. How is water consumption measured?
1. Water consumption is measured in cubic feet. There are 7.48 gallons of water in a cubic foot.
2. The average consumption of water per a 3 month billing cycle per person in the home is 7-10 ccf’s (cubic feet).

3. When I purchase a home through the Sheriff’s sale do you adjust the bill?
1. Yes any charges incurred prior to the purchase date must be waived. However, the customer will need to get an Actual read on the account and must bring in a copy of the Sheriff’s Deed to process the request.
2. If there is a remaining balance it must be paid before the water is restored.

4. What is an Encoder?
1. An Encoder is a device that is installed that will allow City of Dayton Meter Readers to read the meter remotely.
2. There is a one time fee for installing the Encoder of $65.00; the fee is not applied to the account until the meter is installed.

5. How do I receive a refund when a credit is showing on my account?
1. To receive a refund your payment must be the payment that generated the refund amount.
2. You will need to provide one or more of the following to have the refund processed.

1.      The receipt given to you by the cashier’s office when payment was received.

2.      The front and back of the check that generated the refund.

3.      A copy of your credit card statement or bank statement from the credit/debit card used for the payment.

4.      A copy of your driver’s license.

5.      Your current mailing address.

6.      My swimming pool contractor told me that the City of Dayton would credit my sewer charges if I will fill my pool with my garden hose. Is this true?

a.      The City of Dayton does not credit sewer charges for filling swimming pools. The Water Department’s Division of Water Engineering issues fire hydrant permits to fill pools. Charges are based upon the volume of the pool.

1.      $80 for up to 20,000 Gals.

2.      $150  for 20,000 - 50,000 Gals.

3.      $220 for 50,000 - 75,000 Gals.

4.      Established by Water Engineering when over 75,000 Gals.  

Storm Water Questions

In 1990, the United States Environmental Protection Agency published a Clean Water Act regulation. It requires cities with a population over 100,000 with a separate Storm Sewer system to undertake efforts to improve the quality of water that runs off city streets and other areas into rivers and streams. Storm Sewers carry rainfall and snow melt directly to the rivers. Unlike Sanitary Waste, Storm Water is not treated before it flows into the river. The Dayton’s Storm Sewer System:

a.      Carries billions of gallons of water each year to rivers and streams.

b.      Has 400 miles of pipe, 20,000 catch basins and 13 pump stations.

c.      Discharges to rivers and streams at over 300 locations.

On May 21, 1997, the Ohio EPA issued the City of Dayton a Storm Water National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit. In early 1997, Dayton City Commission adopted a Storm Water Ordinance which included the creation of a Storm Water Utility.  

The funds to support the Storm Water Management Program are generated from the fees charged to residential and commercial properties. The residential customer will be charged a flat rate of $56.00 a year. The commercial customer will be charged per square foot of impervious area.

Waste Removal Fee Questions

1. What is the purpose of the Waste Removal Fee?

The Waste Removal Fee is used to cover the repair and replacement of the green rollout waste container and the cost of collecting, disposing and recycling of garbage. 

2. Can I avoid paying this fee by requesting for the City remove the container?

The green rollout container must be used for the City to collect the garbage. The container is specially made for use with the Waste Collection trucks to provide an automated collection service. 

3. Who must pay the Waste Removal Fee?

All residents and/or business receiving City of Dayton waste collection services will be charged the Waste Removal Fee of $84.00 annually. The fee will be billed in four (4) quarterly increments on the utility bill. The fee should be included in the total amount remitted to cover current charges on the utility statement.

4. Can I use bags or other types of waste containers?

The City of Dayton waste collection containers must be used as these containers are specially made for the waste collection trucks. If plastic bags are used they must be placed inside the green rollout container or they will not be collected. Customers with special collection needs must contact waste collection at 333-4833.

5. Who should I contact when the waste collectors take/damage my can or my can is missing or   stolen?

For container replacement or other waste collection questions or information, please contact: Waste Collection Customer Service 333-4833, Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.