Fennimore Utilities has several convenient methods to pay your utility bill.
Pay In Person
Fennimore Utilities customers can make payments in person at the utility office, located at 860 Lincoln Ave. during normal business hours Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is also a payment drop box located inside the south entrance doors to the Municipal Building. Local banks will no longer be accepting utility payments.
Pay Online
You may pay your utility bill online through our Payment Service program.
Pay By Mail
Please enclose payment in a stamped envelope and mail to the utility office at:
City of Fennimore Utilities
860 Lincoln Avenue
Fennimore, WI 53809
If you choose to pay by mail, please send check or money order only. Do not send cash. When paying by mail, be sure to include the bottom portion of the bill with your payment or include the account number on the check.
*Pay Automatically
Payments can also be made by automatic withdrawal from your checking or savings account. The automatic payment plan will help you in several ways:
- Saves you time because there are fewer checks to write.
- Helps meet your commitment in a convenient and timely manner – even if you are on vacation or out of town.
- Maintains good credit – your payment is always on time and there are not lost or misplaced statements.
- Saves postage.
- Easy to sign up for, easy to cancel.
- Monthly bill charges are still sent for you to track your usage.
The automatic payment plan is dependable, flexible, convenient and easy. To take advantage of this service, contact us and we’ll get you started. Or fill out the form and return it to the Fennimore Utilities office with a voided check. Forms can be emailed to utilityclerk@fennimore.com.
Go Paperless
Sign up for paperless billing – Go Green! You will receive an e-mail each month with your utility bill information and a link for viewing your bill online. Receiving your bills electronically will save you time, and the City of Fennimore will save money on postage and printing – it’s a win-win! All of the information you need is located in the upper right corner of your latest bill. Simply go to www.MyproviderLink.com and enter your information.
Medical Emergency
If there is a medical emergency or other crisis that prohibits you from making your payment, the utility may delay service disconnection for up to 21 days. The utility may require documentation from a professional involved with the medical emergency or crisis. Download the Medical Alert Customer Application form.
Insufficient Funds Charge
A $15.00 charge will be applied to the customer’s account when a check rendered for utility service is returned for insufficient funds. This charge may not be in addition to, but may be inclusive of, other non-sufficient funds charges when the check was for payment of multiple services.
Prompt Payment of Bills
A charge of 1% will be added to bills not paid within 20 days from date of issuance. The late charge will be applied to the total unpaid balance for utility service, including unpaid late payment charges. This charge is applicable to all customers. The utility customer may be given a written notice no sooner than 20 days after the bill is issued and unless payment or satisfactory arrangement for payment is made within 10 days, service may be disconnected pursuant to the Wisconsin Adm. Code, Section 113 and Section 185.
The above summaries will enable you to check your bill. The information shown is only general. A complete schedule is on file at our office and is available for details. Please communicate with our office if you do not receive bills, or if you have any questions about a bill. Retain this information for future reference.
Deferred Payments
Fennimore Municipal Utility will offer deferred payment agreements to residential accounts and may offer such agreements to other customers. However, Fennimore Municipal Utility will not offer a deferred payment agreement to a residential customer who is a tenant if any of the following criteria applies:
- The residential tenant has greater than $100 of account arrears that are more than 90 days past due.
- The tenant has defaulted on a deferred payment agreement in the past 12 months. This criterion only applies to deferred payment agreements and not to other types of payment extensions or agreements.
- The residential tenant is responsible for account arrears that were placed on any property owner’s tax bill in the utility’s service territory in the past 24 months.
- The residential tenant has a balance that accrued during the winter moratorium that is more than 80 days past due.
Owner/Tenant Agreements For Utility Billing
Act 274 revises the law applicable to residential tenants’ delinquent utility charges, and it applies to all municipal public utilities. Act 274 preserves a municipal utility’s ability to use tax roll collection tools for delinquent residential tenant utility charges, but establishes a few new requirements to do so. The revisions primarily appear as amendments or additions to Wis. Stat. § 66.0809 which applies to municipal public utility charges.
Wisconsin Act 274
In accordance with Wisconsin Act 274, the City of Fennimore was required to provide tenant billing at the owner’s request starting January 2015.
Unless otherwise arranged, utility bills are set up in the property owner’s name and are sent to the owner’s mailing address. Owners may make arrangements with tenants for payment of the account if they so choose. It is the sole responsibility of the owner to ensure the bill is paid. Defaults in payments of all charges shall become a lien on the property, pursuant to state law.
The City of Fennimore now provides owners with the option of having tenants billed directly for utility fees. This option is restricted to residential tenant customers with individually metered units. Only one Tenant may be responsible for each metered unit.
To redirect a bill from an owner to a tenant, the property owner(s) must submit a completed copy of the Wisconsin Act 274 Request for Tenant Billing Form. The property owner may also elect to get a copy of the bill emailed to them.
When the tenant moves out, the account is redirected back into the property owner’s name unless a new owner/tenant Agreement Form is submitted to support a new tenancy. Each time the name on the account changes, it is considered to be a new account.
As required by Act 274, in order to put delinquent utility charges on the property owner’s taxes, the following procedures will be followed:
- The City will provide notice to the owner if the tenant’s account is past due. Notices will be sent 14 days after the charges become delinquent. These notices may be sent electronically.
- If the owner provides the City with the tenant’s forwarding address within 21 days after the tenant leaves, the City will continue to send past-due notices to the tenant at the forwarding address until either the charges have been paid or the utility has started the procedure for collecting the charges as a property tax lien. To issue an accurate final bill, usage must also be provided.
- The City will send the Oct 15 delinquency notice stating that unpaid charges will become a lien on the property taxes to both the tenant and the owner, and will notify the tenant of the lien against the tenant’s assets.
A statutory municipal lien will be established against the tenant’s assets when the Oct 15 notice is sent. The Lien will transfer to the owner if the owner pays the delinquent charges. The owner can file the Lien with the Clerk of Courts. If the Lien is filed by the owner, the owner is also responsible for filing the Satisfaction of Lien when the tenant pays the amount of the Lien.
Even with an active owner/tenant Agreement, the owner is still the legal guarantor of the account and as such is still ultimately responsible for payment of all charges.
Accounts not paid in full by November 1 each year will be assessed a ten (10) percent penalty. Accounts not paid in full by November 15 each year will be assessed to owner’s property tax.