Bear Creek Town Council cracking down on past due water accounts

BEAR CREEK - The Bear Creek Town Council is showing they mean business when it comes to collecting past due fees for water service, especially since the collection process is hindering the repairs of numerous water leaks throughout the town.
During the council’s regular meeting Monday, Nov. 4, they voted unanimously to raise the disconnect fees for customers late on paying their water bills from $60 to $100, as well as increase the late fee from 10 percent to 20 percent.
These increases will go into effect for the December billing cycle, at the 20th of the month, according to water officials.
A letter will be sent out with the December bills informing them of the increases, officials said. After a customer receives their bill, they are allowed three weeks to pay it or arrange to make payments, noted Water Superintendent Tyson Brown.
“A lot of times, they wait until the last minute to grab their bill,” Brown said, adding the departments gets such excuses from certain customers as, I didn’t know the bill was due or  I didn’t know where it was, lost the bill, etc.
“It’s no new policy. It’s just trying to enforce the ones that are there and being a lot more efficient in what we do,” said Brown.