Front Side of Bill

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• 1Questions and Contact

  Questions about your bill?

  See the back of your bill for contact information for the Utility Customer Care Center 
  Contact information is listed to pay your bill online or by phone.

• 2Customer Account Information

  Account Number

  Information regarding the utility account including account number, bill date (date the bill is generated), account class, and account area can be found in the top right corner of your bill. The account number and service address 4-digit zip code are required to make a payment by phone or online.

  Service Address

  The service address is the address of the property where utility services are provided.

  Service Period

  The service period is the billing period for the current bill. It is located at the top left side of your bill, just beneath the Account Class.

• 3Account Summary

  Previous balance

  The previous balance is any balance from previous billing statements. Previous balances are due immediately. If this balance is not paid, services may be disconnected, and/or the previous balance may be transferred to a collection agency prior to the due date of any current charges.

  Payments Received

  Payments made prior to the current bill date are listed underneath the previous balance.

  Current Charges

  Charges or credits for the service period listed on the utility bill.

  Current Charges Due Date

  The date current charges which are to be paid.

• 4Water Usage Comparison

  Compare your water usage from the previous month and year.

• 5Water Meter Readings

  Your meter reading for the current and previous months.

• 6Itemized Current Charges

  Volume fees

  Volume fees are the monthly charges calculated by multiplying the usage, units, or square footage by the established rate.

  Base fees

  Base fees cover the costs of services that occur regardless of how much the service is used (such as reading and maintenance of meters, water quality monitoring, and infrastructure maintenance).

  Franchise fee

  The City of Salem charges a five-percent franchise fee to all utilities for using the City’s right-of-way. The franchise fee is calculated monthly on all utility charges except the backflow prevention fee, streetlight fee, and City operations fee.

  Backflow prevention fee

  Backflow prevention assemblies are required to protect drinking water from potential sources of contamination. The City of Salem’s backflow prevention program ensures compliance with local codes and with state laws and rules. The backflow prevention fee is charged to all accounts required to have a backflow prevention assembly.

  Streetlight fee

  The streetlight fee covers the cost to operate, upgrade, and expand the City of Salem’s streetlight system. Streetlight costs include electricity and maintenance of the system, as well as gradual installation of streetlights in neighborhoods where they currently are not in place but are desired by residents. Every resident of Salem benefits directly or indirectly from lighted streets. Developed properties within the Salem city limits are charged a streetlight fee even if they do not receive water or wastewater services or there is no streetlight currently installed near the property.

  Current charges and Current charges due

  Current charges are the subtotal for utility services for the service period listed on the utility bill. Current charges due shows the payment due date for the current charges. Make your payment by the due date to avoid a past due reminder letter and possible shutoff of water services or referral to collections.

  If your service is pending disconnection or has been disconnected for nonpayment, please call the Utility Customer Care Team and provide the confirmation code of your recent payment to reinstate service.

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• 7Message Board

  We will let you know information about payment options, ways to manage your account, past due balances, and more.

• 8Payment Remittance Stub

  Detach the payment remittance stub from the bottom of your bill and include it with your payment whenever you pay your bill through the mail, in person, or at one of the drop box locations. Payment options are listed on the reverse side of the utility bill. The bottom of the bill is your utility payment remittance stub.

Back Side of Bill

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• 1BContact Us
  2BContact Us (Spanish)

  Account Number

  To discuss your utility account, contact the Utility Customer Care Team during the business hours listed using the phone number or other contact information provided on the back of your bill.

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• 3BService Item Translation

  Translation of services shown in Current Charges on front of bill.

• 4BWays to Pay

  The bottom of the back side of your bill shows the different options and  locations that are available for you to pay your bill.