Below is a list or frequently asked questions related to Water & Sewer Billing.
Need help reading your bill?
Reference How to read my water bill
- Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD). Download: PAD Water & Sewer Form
- Online at your bank
- Cash or debit in person
- Cheque, post-dated cheque or money order
- Credit Card. For details, visit the Online Payments page
- After-hours drop box located at the front door of the Administration Centre at 217 Gideon Street, Stayner. Please no cash.
- Mail a cheque or money order to 217 Gideon Street, P.O. Box 200, Stayner ON, L0M 1S0. Please no cash.
*Please note there is a NSF fee of $40.00 for returned payments
If you notice that your water consumption is higher than previous bills it is best to first rule out any non-visible leaks in the house. High bills are usually the result of:
- Malfunctioning toilets (consistently running/ not shutting off; water level is set too high).
- Leaky faucets
- Malfunctioning sump pumps hooked to municipal water.
- A change within the household such as new tenants, more people or visitors
- New appliances such as a water-cooled air conditioner, dishwasher, hot water tank, heating system or lawn sprinkler system
In almost every case, the cause of the high bill can be traced back to the homeowner's plumbing.
Residents receive their Water & Sewer bills every 2 months (bi-monthly). The Township is divided into two billing periods so that not every property is being billed at the same time.
Bi-monthly 1
All properties in the east side of Stayner (accounts beginning with 010-019), the west side of Creemore (accounts beginning with 023-024), New Lowell and Collingwoodlands are billed in January, March, May, July, September, and November; 6 times a year.
Bi-monthly 2
All properties in the west side of Stayner (accounts beginning with 001-006), the east side of Creemore (accounts beginning with 021-022), Buckinghamwoods and Nottawa are billed in February, April, June, August, October and December; 6 times a year.
To change your mailing address, please fill out the Change of Mailing Address Form and return it to the Municipality.
If you do not pay your Water & Sewer bill by the specified due date, a one-time 5% penalty charge will be added to the overdue amount; this amount is shown on your Water & Sewer bill.
On or after April 30th and October 30th of each year, all Water & Sewer accounts that have past due amounts of 90 days or more will become eligible to have that past due amount transferred to the property tax account for collection as property taxes.
Accounts with a past due amount of 90 days or more will receive a notice from The Finance Department, and from the date of this notification will have 21 days to pay the past due amount. If the account still remains unpaid after the 21 days, the amount will be transferred to the tax account and be subject to fees, interest and penalties set in the current Fees & Charges By-Law.
For more information you can review the Delinquent Utility Bill Collection Policy.
If you have not received your Water & Sewer bill please contact the Finance Department at 705-428-6230 ext. 239 to ensure that our office has your proper mailing address on file. If you have a new mailing address, please contact our office as soon as possible to ensure that there is no interruption with receiving your bills.
Water & Sewer bills will always be in the name of the registered owner(s) of the property. Our office can set up the account so that the bill goes ‘care of’ the tenant(s) at their mailing address, but the owner(s) name will always be on the bill above the ‘care of” names and address. Only one Water & Sewer bill will be sent out every two months, and if the account remains unpaid it is still the responsibility of the property owner(s).
It is recommended that property owners that have their Water & Sewer bills going to the tenant(s) call our office periodically to ensure that the account remains in good standing.
To send the water & sewer bill to tenant(s) fill out the Tenant Authorization Form below and submit it to the municipality:
If you are purchasing or selling a property that is serviced by Municipal Water and or Sewer, please contact the Finance Department at 705-428-6230 ext. 239 to arrange a final meter reading. You'll need to have the following information ready:
- The address of the property
- The closing date
- The Lawyer and/or Clerk's name and contact information
- The seller's forwarding address, phone number and email address
The lawyer that is acting on your behalf may also send a letter in writing with all of the above information to notify our office and arrange the final meter reading. In that case if there are any further questions our office can then contact the acting lawyers.
The Water & Sewer Rates can viewed within the Fees & Charges By-Law.
We read the meters electronically by radio. That means we can do it quickly and efficiently saving time and money and do not have to go into your house to read the meter. In rare cases a water meter may not be able to produce a reading. In cases such as these the water consumption is estimated based on previous usage. If a reading is estimated the consumption on their bills shows an “Est.” to indicate that the water consumption is not an actual amount.
Each of the Water and the Sewer services as a whole are self-funding. That means that the costs associated with the purification of the water and delivery of the water and the replacement and repair of the water facilities, equipment and water mains (pipes) is paid for by the water users. Similarly, the costs of the collection of the wastewater and the treatment of the wastewater and the replacement and repair of the sewer facilities, equipment and sewer mains (pipes) are paid for by the sewer users. None of the expenses for the water or wastewater comes from general property taxation. Sometimes there is a local improvement charge assessed to specific properties that are paying for specific water or sewer improvements.