Listed below, you will find our current rates and policies. If you do not find the information you need, please contact our office and we will provide it for you.
CUSTOMER BILLING AND PAYMENT – The water system’s water meters shall be read once a month and bills calculated from these meter readings shall be mailed the last week of the month to each customer. The bills shall be payable by the tenth (10th) day of the following month. Bills not paid by the tenth (10th) day of the month shall be considered delinquent and a late charge will be added to the bill. Should the final date for payment of the bill fall on a weekend or holiday, the next business day following the final date shall be considered the delinquent date. Remittance received by mail after the time limit for non delinquent payment will be accepted without penalty by West Madison Utility District if the incoming envelope bears a U.S. Postal Service date stamp of the final date of non delinquent payment, or any date prior thereto. If a customer does not receive a monthly statement, it is the customer’s responsibility to contact West Madison Utility District’s office to find out how much he/she owes for his/her water/sewer service.
Monthly billing statements reflect the date of when non-payment is considered delinquent and also the date of when service will be disconnected in the event of non-payment. The statements also state “no cash accepted.”
A customer has the right to designate another person to receive all information regarding their service, including notices, notifications of water cut offs, late fees, etc. In the event a customer chooses this option, West Madison Utility District is relieved from any and all liability in the event the designee does not notify the customer of pertinent communications or pay the water/sewer bill in a timely manner, etc. It is the responsibility of the customer to notify WMUD in the event he/she wishes to remove the designee from receiving said notices. These requests shall be made in writing and filed in the customer's file.
If a customer has a life threatening situation, it is the responsibility of the customer or his/her designee to notify West Madison Utility District, so that it can be informed of same should the water/sewer bill become delinquent and cut off of services is imminent.
It is the customer's responsibility to notify West Madison Utility District in the event that the person in whose name the account is listed has passed away or moved so that the account can be placed in whoever's name is the responsible party for payment of the water/sewer bill.
It is the customer's responsibility to update his/her telephone numbers and/or email addresses in order that West Madison Utility District can contact the customer.
CUSTOMER BILLING/PAYMENT POLICY – West Madison Utility District Board of Commissioners has the ultimate authority and responsibility of ensuring the financial health and stability of the water/sewer district. It is inherent that every customer is treated in a fair and equitable manner, and that each customer pay for the services provided by West Madison Utility District. Therefore, no adjustments are allowed for any water/sewer bill unless an error was made in meter reading or billing except for adjustment of sewer charges in connection with a water leak as outlined hereinbelow. No adjustments will be made to the late payment policy. A late fee will be added to all unpaid balances after the tenth (10th) of each month, regardless of the amount of the unpaid balance, except for the balance owed on a hardship payment plan as outlined hereinbelow.
As West Madison Utility District is recognized as a subdivision of Madison County, Mississippi, it cannot legally adjust a customer’s water/sewer bill according to the Constitution of the State of Mississippi. It is stated that “no obligation or liability of any person, association, or corporation held or owned by this state……or any county, city or town thereof, shall ever be remitted, released or postponed, or in any way diminished by the Legislature, nor shall such liability or obligation be extinguished except by payment thereof into the proper treasury; nor shall such liability or obligation be exchanged or transferred except upon payment of its face value” (Miss. Const. Art 4, Sec 100).
West Madison Utility District should not be expected to know the reason why a customer's bill has increased unless a leak is detected or it finds that the meter is not working correctly. West Madison Utility District will perform a reread for the customer; however, if the meter reading is consistent with the last reading recorded, the bill must stand. Unless there is a clear error on the part of West Madison Utility District, there will be no adjustments to any water bills. If an error is discovered, the bill will be corrected and the Board of Commissioners will be notified of the error and correction of the bill in the Operator's monthly report.
One Board member cannot make a decision regarding a customer's bill. The customer should be familiar with this policy. If all procedures are followed and the customer is still not content, he or she should go through the correct steps to be placed on the Board's Agenda for the next meeting.
West Madison Utility District reviewed an insurance policy for its customers in the event of leaks. A monthly fee would be reflected on the customers’ water/sewer bills identified as “Servline.” The maximum water/sewer bill that will be covered by the insurance would be $2,500.00, and the customer may only use the insurance once per year should he/she encounter a larger than normal water/sewer bill due to a leak. If the customer receives a large bill and wishes to utilize this insurance, he/she shall notify West Madison Utility District. West Madison Utility District will average the customer’s previous three (3) monthly water/sewer bills in order to obtain a fee that the customer is expected to pay West Madison Utility District. It is then the customer’s responsibility to contact Servline to file an insurance claim, and Servline will pay the remaining balance of the customer’s water/sewer bill, up to the sum of $2,500.00. Any and all amounts over the $2,500.00 shall be the responsibility of the customer to pay. Servline will require proof from the customer that he/she repaired the leak. Customers can opt out of participating in the Servline program, but if he/she does so, the customer will then be responsible for payment of any and all charges as mentioned hereinabove consistent with West Madison Utility Districts billing/payment policy. NOTE: West Madison Utility District did not enact the Servline insurance as only four (4) customers wished to enroll and this was not enough to enact the policy.
BILLING ADJUSTMENTS POLICY - Only sewer charges will be adjusted by West Madison Utility District due to a water leak. The customer must produce evidence of repairing a water leak. The sewer charge will then be adjusted and billed at the amount of the average of the previous three (3) month's sewer charges. This is the only adjustment allowed. Adjustments of sewer charges due to leaks are limited to three (3) times per year and/or a total aggregated adjustment of sewer charges in the amount of $200.00.
HARDSHIP PAYMENT PLANS - Customers who wish to apply for hardship payment plans will be allowed the following: 1) for a water/sewer bill that is between $200.00-$600.00, West Madison Utility District will allow a six (6) month payment plan; and b) for a water/sewer bill that is over $600.00, West Madison Utility District will allow a twelve (12) month payment plan. Water/sewer bills less than $200.00 will not be eligible for payment arrangements unless specifically authorized by the Board of Commissioners due to unusual circumstances. The current water/sewer bill must be paid in full each month in addition to the payment arrangement. No late charges will be applied to the balance being paid under a hardship payment plan as long as the customer continues to pay his/her current bill each month in addition to the payment required under the payment plan. Due to substantial losses of income, West Madison Utility District does not allow renters to be placed on payment plans.
PROOF OF PAYMENT- If a customer has a dispute regarding the proper credit and posting of a water/sewer bill payment, it is the customer’s responsibility to provide acceptable proof of payment. Proof of payment may consist of one of the following: a) bank cancelled check; b) West Madison Utility District payment receipt; b) payment to West Madison Utility District reflected on the bank statement/credit card statement; and/or c) statement and photocopy of cancelled money order from the company issuing the money order. A money order receipt is not proof that the payment was made; the receipt is only proof that you purchased a money order. A money order receipt should always be retained by the customer in case the customer needs to request a trace from the company issuing the money order. No cash payments are accepted by West Madison Utility District, and this fact is also mentioned on each and every monthly statement.
It is the responsibility of the customer to notify the billing department of any discrepancy in his/her billing, including an improperly credited or missing payment. The billing department will notify the customer if he/she cannot find or solve the problem. If the customer is dissatisfied with the answer received from the billing department, the customer may fill out a request to appear before the Board of Commissioners, he/she must provide proof of payment or request additional time to obtain proof of payment. The Board of Commissioners will set a timeframe (typically one month) for the customer to obtain proof of payment, and during this time, no late fee will be assessed for the missing payment. After the set timeframe, if the customer has not produced proof of payment, the charges will be assumed to be correct and the customer will be responsible for payment of the assessed charges and the late fee.
WATER/SEWER RATES - The Board of Commissioners for the West Madison Utility District will review the system’s rates in the month following the completion of the annual audit and make adjustments where necessary. Customers of the West Madison Utility District will be notified of increases in water and/or sewer rates on their regular monthly bill, and notice will also be posted at the West Madison Utility District’s office the month prior to when the rate increase will be effective.
No flat rates are allowed. Every customer will be billed based on meter readings that are calculated based on its approved rates of consumption.
Rates and charges set by West Madison Utility District are not subject to review or regulation by the Mississippi Public Service Commission as West Madison Utility District was created under § 19-5-151 through 19-5-207, as amended, establishing the Board of Commissioners as West Madison Utility District’s governing authority, providing it with the power to fix, maintain, collect, and revise rates and charges for services rendered by or through the facilities of the district (Miss. Code Ann. §19-5-177(e), as amended).
West Madison Utility District, in an effort to provide equitable and fair charges for services rendered, will periodically have a rate study performed by the Mississippi Rural Water Association in order to determine if it is charging rates at a level recommended by this agency. West Madison Utility District may also consult with officers of the Public Service Commission and/or officers of the Public Utilities Staff in matters that it feels may assist with issues related to the services and function of said district.
West Madison Utility District cannot obtain grants, loans, or any other type of assistance to repair and/or maintain its facilities involving large expenditures if it cannot assure the entities involved that it is operating in such a manner that it is financiallly stable. This is why rate studies are requested from the Mississippi Rural Water Association, and water/sewer rates are adjusted to meet these requirements.
It is the responsibility of West Madison Utility District to make sure that the rates it charges are of a sufficient nature in order to provide clean water to its customers and to create sustainable and efficient water/sewer service.
SWIMMING POOLS - For West Madison Utility District's Policy on swimming pools, please see the Policies and Procedures Manual below. The District requires that its Operator officially measure your pool to verify the volume it contains, and the District office must be notified prior to someone filling up a pool in order to adjust the sewer charge. This will only be allowed one time per year per customer as an above ground pool is typically only drained once per year in the spring.
