New Customer Information

Welcome to Heber Springs

The Heber Springs Water and Sewer Utility is providing this information to help you, as a customer, understand our billing procedures and help answer some often asked questions.

The Utility operates out of revenues provided by the water and sewer rates.  It does not receive any local, state, or Federal tax monies.  It is managed by a general manager under a three person Commission appointed by the Heber Springs City Council.

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All plumbing (major repairs, additions, and new construction) must be inspected by a licensed inspector of the Arkansas Department of Health.

DEPOSITS

A deposit is required on each meter receiving service ($75.00 for residential customers and $75.00 for normal usage commercial users, high usage commercial users such as Restaurants, Motels and Laundries have a deposit which equals the sum of 3 months water charges.)  This deposit is required under City Ordinance and is retained as long as the customer has service.  The customer does not receive any interest earned on the meter deposit, any interest earned is used in operations and maintenance to help keep the water and sewer rates as reasonable as possible.  If a customer moves within our service area, the deposit may be transferred to the new location if it is equal to the amount of the current deposit requirements.  When service is terminated, a final statement is prepared to include the reading at the time the service was terminated and the deposit is applied to this billing. This statement and a check for the remainder of the deposit, if any, is sent to the customer at their forwarding address.

BILLING

Statements are sent out monthly on the last business day of the month and payment is due by the 10th.  Under city ordinance, a penalty of l0% is charged after the 10th.  In an effort to be fair to all customers, we do not penalize payments received by mail that are postmarked on or before the 10th.  If the 10th falls on the weekend, you have the following Monday to pay without penalty. Please bring your complete statement when paying by cash so we can stamp your portion "paid".  If you don’t have your statement and want to pay your bill, please come inside our office. We offer 'Bank Drafts' as a convenience to our customers whose financial institute accepts them; this is especially helpful for those who travel frequently.  If you are interested in bank drafting, we have authorization forms for you to complete and return to us with your voided check.  You will still receive a monthly statement so you know how much will be drafted.  The drafts are deposited the first business day after the third of each month and clear each bank depending on their location.  We also accept advance payments on accounts.

ONLINE OR PAY BY PHONE

Credit card, debit card, E-check and check by phone payments are accepted online or by phone through “Paymentus Corporation”.  To access online payments click the home tab at the top of this page, then view the “Pay Your Bill” section of the page, or click here,  or phone 1-888-439-0694 and follow the prompts. Paymentus charges a fee of $2.95 for this service.  Note: Customers on shut off must make payment by 5 p.m. the day before shut off date to avoid disconnection.

NIGHT DROP

There is a night depository located on the North side of the Utility Office next to the Drive-up Window; we recommend payment by check or money order if it is used.  Please note your account number on your check and include your remittance portion (the small part) of your statement.

GARBAGE PICK-UP (Inside City Limits, only)

We bill and collect the Residential Garbage charges of $10.00, which is mandatory, for the City.  If you have any questions or problems concerning Garbage Pick-up please contact the Mayor's Office at 362-3635.  Ask them about their recycling program.

RATES(RATE SHEET ATTACHED)

Each meter is read every month to ascertain the water usage.  Since we have only one meter reader for the system, meters are read all month long but normally about the same time of the month.  A "read date" is printed on the statement.  The water charge is based on the actual usage each month.  The sewer charge is based on your prior year's water usage (i.e. The 2009 sewer charges are based on the 2008 water usages, new customers start out at the minimum charge), and is figured each year before the January billing, and remains the same all year, unless a rate change makes it necessary to refigure during the year.  In the case of a rate change, the months used to get the average will be specified in the ordinance.

DELINQUENT ACCOUNTS

Accounts that are two (2) months past due are subject to disconnection. Please notify the Utility office if your phone number changes, we try to contact customers by phone before we disconnect for non-payment.   On the shut-off day, payment must be in cash.  After a service is disconnected for non-payment, payment in full plus a reconnect fee must be made in cash before service is returned.  A reconnection fee of $20.00 is charged to turn the service back on during normal work hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weekdays). An "after-hours" reconnection fee of $40.00 is charged to turn service back on anytime before or after normal work hours.  

STATEMENT OF SERVICE

The Heber Springs Water and Sewer Utility strives to provide the best possible service but does not guarantee uninterrupted water and/or sewer service.  There may be service interruptions due to power outages, scheduled maintenance, breaks in mains, equipment failures, and other acts of nature beyond our control.  It is not usually possible to provide prior notice of service interruptions.  The Utility does pledge that, when service is interrupted, our crews will be out working to restore service to you, our valued customer, at anytime day or night.

The Utility's meter box (concrete box), meter, shut-off valve, and all piping inside the box are the property of the Utility.  Only Utility employees should turn the service on and/or off using the Utility's shut-off valve.  A service charge of $15.00 during the normal work hours, $40.00 after hours, is accessed for turning a service off and back on for repairs.

The meter box must remain accessible to the Utility's personnel for the purpose of monthly meter reading and necessary maintenance.  Please do not plant flowers, shrubs, trees or do any other landscaping that would impede our access.

The Utility maintains 6 inch and larger sewer lines from manhole to manhole.  Any lines 4 inches or smaller are considered private service lines and are not maintained by the Utility.

Emergency service is available at all hours by dialing 362-3422 or contacting the Police Department at 362-8291.  Cleburne County has a CODE RED system for weather alerts, etc.  You can sign up by going here.

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