Hermiston residents will have extra 10 days to pay their sewer, water and garbage bills after the Hermiston City Council passed an ordinance on Monday to extend the payment due date.
Currently, payment for water, sewage, and solid waste bills are due within 10 days of issuance and all bills that are not paid within 10 days are considered delinquent and an additional charge is imposed.
City Manager Byron Smith said it is taking longer these days for mail to reach its recipients, making it harder for customers to pay their bills on time.
“The increased time it takes to move the mail now . . . it puts our customers in jeopardy of having late fees,” Smith said. “And if they were to pay by mail, it just makes it worse. This just gives them a little more comfort for them to be able to pay their bill on time.”
“It makes common sense,” Mayor Dave Drotzmann said.
The passage of the ordinance now gives customers 20 days to pay their bills before incurring a late fee.
The change goes into effect 30 days after Monday’s passage of the ordinance.
