Pasco outlines 48-day shutoff timeline, notifications and fees for delinquent utility accounts

City finance staff walked the council through Pasco’s delinquent-utility process and timeline, including required tenant protections and typical account volumes.

Utility Billing Manager Priscilla Jimenez said the city bills on four weekly cycles and the standard path from a bill date to potential disconnection of water service is about 48 days (roughly seven weeks). After the bill is issued, customers receive the bill PDF and a mailed statement; if the balance remains unpaid there is a $10 late penalty and later notices. Per Pasco Municipal Code, commercial or multifamily units receive a yellow door tag prior to disconnection to protect tenants; automated English-and-Spanish calls are used in the week before shutoffs.

Jimenez outlined fees: a $10 late fee, a $15 field-service fee on commercial/multifamily tags, and a $10 collection fee applied two days before shutoff; disconnection is scheduled when bill #1 shows a delinquent balance of $50 or more. She said staff attempts multiple notification channels and offers payment arrangements; four cycles repeat monthly, and on average 60–120 accounts per week are at risk in heavier cycles.

Council members asked whether shutoffs are increasing and whether the new billing portal had affected volumes; staff said account levels are returning to normal after an earlier conversion and estimated 400–500 accounts per month across cycles are impacted out of ~24,000 active meters.

Next steps: staff will continue outreach, emphasize multilingual automated notices, and respond to council questions about long-term trends and customer assistance.