A Guide to Paying Your St. Cloud Utilities Bill

Living in the city of St. Cloud comes with great community amenities like water sewer, garbage recycling, and street lighting. But keeping track of paying your utilities bill can be confusing, especially if you’re a new resident. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk through everything you need to know about understanding, managing, and paying your St. Cloud utilities bill.

Overview of St. Cloud Utilities Services

The city of St. Cloud provides and bills for several key utilities

• Water – Clean drinking water is supplied to all homes and businesses. Water usage is metered.

• Sewer – Wastewater is treated at municipal facilities. Charges are based on your water usage

• Garbage – Weekly garbage collection. Customers are provided a cart and charged a flat monthly fee.

• Recycling – Bi-weekly curbside recycling pickup. No extra charge, included with garbage service.

• Stormwater – Manages rain runoff. Fee based on property type.

• Street lighting – Outdoor public lighting. Fee covers electricity and maintenance.

These services are vital for an environmentally friendly, livable city, and St. Cloud works hard to provide them reliably. As a customer, you must pay your share by covering your regular utility bills.

Understanding Your Utilities Bill

Utility bills are sent out every 60 days and include charges for all services for that period. Your bill will list each utility separately, with the total balance due at the bottom. Here’s what to look for:

• Account number, property address, billing dates

• Meter readings for water, noting usage in units

• Water and sewer charges based on water units used

• Flat fee for garbage service

• Any stormwater, street lighting, or other fees

• Payments and credits applied to your account

• Amount due and due date

Call the billing department right away if you see any discrepancies on your statement.

Ways to Pay Your St. Cloud Utilities Bill

You have numerous options for paying your St. Cloud utilities bill:

• Online – Pay via the city website using your account number. You can store payment methods for convenience.

• Mail – Send a paper check or money order with your payment stub to the mailing address listed.

• In person – Bring cash, check, or card to pay at City Hall during business hours. A 24/7 drop box is also available outside.

• Phone – Call the pay-by-phone number anytime and follow the prompts to pay with a card.

• Auto-pay – Set up recurring payments from your bank account so it’s handled automatically each billing cycle.

Review your bill and pick the most convenient method for you. Just be sure to pay the total due by the due date to avoid penalties.

Financial Assistance for Utility Bills

If you’re having trouble paying your St. Cloud utility bill, contact the billing department right away to ask about possible financial assistance, including:

• Payment plans – Arrange smaller payments over time if you can’t pay in full.

• Payment extensions – Get a due date pushed back if you just need a little extra time.

• Low-income discount – Reduced rates for qualifying low-income households.

• Emergency assistance – Nonprofits may help cover part of the bill in crisis situations.

Don’t let an unaffordable bill go unpaid. Call early to set up alternative pay arrangements that work for your budget.

Avoid Utility Disconnection with Proper Payment

It’s crucial to pay your St. Cloud utilities bill fully and on time each cycle. If you don’t, your account becomes delinquent and you risk service disconnection.

To avoid shut-offs:

• Open and review bills as soon as you get them so you know the due date.

• Pay the total current charges, not just the minimum due.

• Get on a payment plan if you can’t pay in full.

• If your service is disconnected, pay the full past due amount to get reconnected.

• Contact billing immediately if you receive a disconnection notice so you can address it before the shut-off date.

Staying current with utilities payments prevents disruptions and additional fees.

Use Available Resources to Monitor Usage

St. Cloud provides resources to help you monitor your utility usage so you can avoid unexpectedly high bills:

• The online MY360 portal shows real-time usage for water and provides tools like leak alerts.

• Rate and fee schedules are published so you know costs per unit.

• Contact billing to get account history and averages to track changes.

• Check your meter periodically and compare readings to your usage on bills. Report inconsistencies.

• Review bills closely each cycle for abnormal spikes that could indicate leaks or other issues.

Proactively keeping tabs on your usage gives you better control over utility costs.

Moving In or Out? Notify Us Promptly

Anytime you start or stop utility service in St. Cloud, prompt notification is required:

Move in: Contact billing right away with your move-in date to get service connected and billing started in your name.

Move out: Let us know your move-out date so we can finalize your account. Provide a forwarding address for your final bill.

This ensures proper billing for the services you use. We can also help arrange shut-offs and transfers between property owners. Keeping your account status current is a shared responsibility.

Our St. Cloud utility billing department is available to answer all your questions and make sure your utility payments proceed smoothly. Don’t hesitate to reach out by phone, email, or in person. We want to provide exceptional service to our residents while keeping our city’s infrastructure operating efficiently.