City of Mendota Heights Wants to Pay Your Sewer Bill

The city of Mendota Heights wants to pay your sewer and stormwater utility bill—but in return, they’re asking residents to sign up for automatic bill pay.

Anyone registered for the service by July 1 will be registered in a drawing for a free quarter of sewer fees. Anyone already registered will still be registered for the drawing.

The minimum fee charged to a residential property is $60, and the city is willing to pay up to $150 for the winner.

What may seem like a gimmick can save the city and residents real money over the long run.

“It will be a good way to get more people aware of the program,” city administrator Justin Miller told the council on Tuesday.

According to city information, there are 3,720 residential sewer accounts in the city. 400 of them have their bill automatically withdrawn from a banking account.

“We think that’s very low,” said Miller.

Boosting the number of customers enrolled means saving on postage and mailing of paper bills, as well as the staff time and waste involved in processing payments sent by mail.

For residents, the auto-pay option can save them the hassle of writing a check and the identity fraud risk that goes with sending checks by mail. It also ensures payment will be received on time.

The fees collected pay for sewer infrastructure, including maintenance of storm water ponds. The fees also are used to pay charges from the Metropolitan Council for treatment of the water.

What each household pays is based on average usage during the winter and recalibrated as needed every year.

To sign up, pick up a form at . You will have to attach a voided check or deposit slip, depending on whether you want to withdraw from a checking or savings account. Have that account information handy. 

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