La Porte City Utilities
403 Main Street
La Porte City, IA 50651
Phone (319) 342-3139
Fax (319) 342-3160
E-mail
Utility Board of Trustees
La Porte City Utilities is governed by a three-member Board of Trustees. The Trustees are appointed to six-year terms by the Mayor of La Porte City, and confirmed by the La Porte City Council.
A chairperson is selected by the board from among its ranks.
Current Board Members |
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| Phil Norris, Chairperson | First appointed in December, 2000 | Term expires September 2015 |
| Donald Heckroth, Secretary | First appointed in June, 2000 | Term expires September 2011 |
| Jon Barz | First appointed in September, 2007 | Term expires September 2013 |
Employee Directory
| Mike Johnson | Operations Manager | Hired: January, 2004 |
| Bob Riggle | Lineman | Hired: May, 2004 |
| Bill Mathes | Lineman | Hired: April, 2008 |
| Sue Hrubes | Office Manager | Hired: August 1982 |
| Kathy Strubel | Billing/Accounting Clerk | Hired: January, 2010 |
8:00am – 12:00pm and 1:00pm – 5:00 pm< Our phones are answered 24 hours a day.
If you experience service problems after hours, call our regular phone number.
An answering service will take your information and page the employee on call if necessary.
Electric Rates and Information (effective as of 6/15/2010)
Rates of the electric and water utilities are established by the La Porte City Utilities Board of Trustees. As a municipal system, we are not subject to the regulation of the Utilities Division of the Department of Commerce of the State of Iowa.
Residential Electric Service Charge (per month)
From 0 to 500kWh - $0.1190
From 501 to 1500kWh - $0.0953
From 1501 to 2500kWh - $0.0891
Over 2500 - $0.0955
Commercial Electric Service Charge ($10.40)
From 0 to 1000kWh - $0.1190
From 1001 to 2500kWh - $0.0972
Over 2500 - $0.0955
Horsepower ($10.40)
First 10kWh per H.P. - $0.1167
Next 20kWh per H.P. - $0.1018
Next 20kWh per H.P. - $0.0937
All Over 50kWh per H.P. - $0.0880
Minimum bill 41.00 per H.P, but not less than $2.02
Municipal Electric Service ($10.40)
All kWh $0.0765
Sales tax not included in above rates
Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) On March 8, 2005, the La Porte City Utilities Board of Trustees approved a Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) surcharge. The surcharge will be applied to your bill when the previous month’s power costs exceed the base rate of 6.50 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) sold. The difference between the costs per kWh sold and the base rate will then be used as the Power Cost Adjustment factor.This factor will be multiplied times the number of kilowatt hours you used for the month.
The Power Cost Adjustment is to help cover the increasing costs associated with fuel to generate and kilowatts purchased from other sources.Although we are working hard to control costs and provide you with the best energy value possible, some costs are outside of our control, such as peak demand times.
Electric service is provided by La Porte City Utilities through a wholesale power contract with Resale Power Group of Iowa (RPGI).Our current contract expires in November 2011.
Water Rates and Information (effective 2/15/2010)
Our water meters measure usage by the Cubic Foot. There are approximately 7.5 gallons per cubic foot.
All Services (per month)
From 0 to 344CF - $0.0231
Over 344 - $0.0231
Minimum bill 344CF - $7.94
Base Charge (per month)
$30.00
Other Services
Garbage, Dumpster rental, Sewer, and Mosquito Spraying rates and ordinances are set by the City Council. The City contracts with La Porte City Utilities to do their monthly billing and receipt collections. This way residents and commercial businesses only have one statement and one payment per month.
Billing Information
Meters are read around the 15th of the month and the bills are mailed on (or as close as possible to) the 25th of the month. Current charges are due by the 15th of the next month. If payment is made after the 15th, a 1 ½% penalty is added to the amount due.
Late Notices are mailed to allow for at least 12 days of notice before the end of the month. Balances must be paid by the last day of the month to avoid the $20.00 service charge. If you will be unable to pay the whole amount due by the end of the month, call the office during business hours to make payment arrangements. Making payment arrangements does not waive the $20.00 service charge; however, it will avoid a tag for disconnection.
If neither payment nor arrangements have been made with the Utility office by the first day of the month a 24-hour notice is hung on the premises. This gives an additional 24 hours to either make payment or arrangements before disconnection occurs. Once electric services are disconnected, there is a $20.00 reconnect charge ($80.00 if after hours). In order to reconnect electric services, payment must be made in full (including the $20.00 reconnect charge) with cash or money order or a Reasonable Agreement to Pay can be completed with payment of the $20.00 during office hours ($80 after hours) reconnect charge with cash or money order. Services can be restored after hours by calling the regular number and leaving your information with the answering service. They will page the employee on call.
A Reasonable Agreement to Pay will be offered to anyone who is not currently in default with a previous Reasonable Agreement to Pay.
Post dated checks or checks to be held are not accepted.
Budget Payment Plans:
A budget payment plan is available for the electric service portion of your bill. All other services and surcharges are billed according to monthly usage and rates. This will result in the total current charges not being the same amount month after month, but you do pay the same amount for electricity each month. Sales tax is charged on the actual electric charges each month, not the budgeted amount.
In order to participate in the budget plan, accounts must be paid by the 15th of each month.
Once a year, during July, all budgeted accounts are reviewed.This allows us to account for higher or lower usage than was budgeted for.If you are participating in the budget plan, and make any major changes (adding a new addition, switching from or to electric heat, plan on closing the house for more than 2 months, etc) please call the office.It might be necessary to adjust your budgeted amount sooner than July.
Auto-Payment
We do offer the option of having your account paid by auto-debit. This is where the amount due is taken directly from your checking or savings account automatically on the 15th of each month.You will still receive your statement every month that shows the amount due.At least a 30-day notice is required to start or stop this option.
Starting and Stopping Service
Starting Utility Services:
Call during regular business hours to start or change services. If you have not previously established good credit with La Porte City Utilities, our electric Tariff requires a $50.00 deposit for all residential services. Deposit amounts vary for commercial businesses. In order to establish good credit with La Porte City Utilities, you must have had services with us for at least 12-months previously with one (1) late payment or less. It is important to call us before you move in. This way we can get accurate meter readings and establish an account without disruption to your electric services. An application for service will also need to be filled out before services are provided.
After 1 year (12 months) of timely payments your deposit will be applied to your account. If you have two (2) or more late payments within those first 12 months, your deposit will be kept on file to be applied to your final statement.
Ending Utility Services:
Call during regular business hours to stop utility services. Please have the date you plan on leaving the premises or the closing date for the sale of your home as well as your forwarding address. We calculate bills only once a month. So if you stop services before the end of the billing cycle (from the 15th to the 15th) you will still receive your final statement around the 25th.
If your deposit was not returned to you after your first year of service, it will be applied to your final statement.
Snowbirds
For those who go south during the winter months please stop into the office to complete a “Temporary Suspension of Services” form. This will be required for any services to be suspended during your absence. Anyone who “shuts off” their water at the meter can request water and sewer charges be temporarily suspended until their return.Garbage service will also be temporarily suspended until your return.This option is only available to those who will be gone two (2) full months or longer.Our billing cycle is from the 15th of the month to the 15th of the month.So if you leave at the end of the month, you will have at least one more bill with garbage, sewer & water.Water & Sewer charges are only suspended if water usage reflects zero (0) usage. Otherwise, minimum charges will apply.
Please call the office to notify us of your safe return also.
Iowa One Call
Call 811.
Iowa law requires that any person, homeowner, professional, public or private entity, planning to engage in any form of excavation within the state of Iowa, must notify the Iowa One Call notification system, at 1-800-292-8989, at least 48 hours prior to excavating.These calls are monitored and an immediate response can be coordinated for any emergency request (must involve risk of life or health).
The Iowa One Call notification system is a free call and a free service to all persons planning an excavation within the state of Iowa. The required 48 hours advance notice does not include Saturdays and Sundays or legal holidays. The location request is received by Iowa One Call and a fax is sent to La Porte City Utilities to notify us of the request.After receiving the request we will locate our electric lines (does not include any lines you or a previous homeowner may have had buried from your house to your garage, shed, etc.) Other companies will locate their own telephone, gas, cable tv, etc. Any and all service lines located in the area of excavation are your responsibility to locate.La Porte City Utilities only marks water mains as the service lines are the property of the homeowner’s.
www.iowaonecall.com