Newberg customers have an additional option for paying municipal services, known as Equal Pay. Equal Pay is a specialized payment plan that spreads out payments over a year.
To enroll complete the form at the bottom of this page or call (503) 537-1205, option 2
Advantages
- The level payments can help you conveniently budget by minimizing the impact of seasonal swings of water and sewer consumption.
- The customer will always be responsible to pay only for actual consumption by the end of the participation in the program.
- Never become delinquent.
- Must have a ZERO balance before enrolling.
- Must have a good payment history (no more than two late payments and/or service interruptions).
- Must be enrolled in our Direct Payment Plan or Recurring Payment Plan (Auto Pay).
- Must reside in residence and have service at the same address for 12 continuous months.
Please fill out the form below to request the Equal Pay Opportunity.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
- Customer may take part in Equal pay after 12 months of continuous service at their current address with good payment history.
- Good payment history is no more than two late payments and/or no service interruptions for non-payment in the last 12 months.
- Customer must bring balance to zero before enrolling.
- Customer must maintain a good payment history throughout their enrollment in Equal Pay.*
- Customer must be enrolled in the Direct Payment Plan or Recurring Payment Plan that the City of Newberg offers. These are auto payment plans, where the City either withdraws money from a checking or savings account (Direct Payment) or charges a credit card (Recurring Payment) monthly for payment of the current billing.
CALCULATION INFORMATION:
- Equal Pay calculations will be performed every March. The City will perform a new calculation (true-up), using a 12-month lookback period, which will be applied to your April 1st statement. The March calculation will be performed regardless of when your annual calculation last occurred in order to capture the new Winter Averaging calculation and the potential utility rate adjustments that typically occur on January 1st every year. At that point, the customer agrees to pay the new Equal Pay amount for the next year or to cancel the plan.
- Water and sewer consumption charges are the only services calculated for Equal Pay. Non-consumption based charges already have a consistent flat charge.
- If customer decides to discontinue the Equal Pay plan, they will inform the City in writing at least 5 days before the next billing cycle.
Equal Pay FAQ's
It’s pretty simple:
- You must have an active account with us for 12 months at your current address.
- We take the last 12 months of consumption and get an average.
- We charge for consumption based on that average for the next 12 months.
Every month, you will pay only the Equal Pay amount, regardless of your actual usage. Then on every April 1st statement your Equal Pay amount could be adjusted depending on changes in city council-approved rates or usage of the customer. At that point, the customer agrees to pay the new Equal Pay amount for the next year or to cancel their participation in the plan.
No. The amount will adjust automatically on every April 1st statement.
The Equal Pay plan provides a level payment plan that assists in household budgeting by considering seasonal swings of water and sewer consumption over the course of a year. The customer will always be responsible to pay for actual consumption. This plan is designed to help smooth fluctuations that may occur month to month or seasonally. At the time of termination, the customer will be charged or credited for the remaining difference between the amount consumed and the amount billed.
If you have concerns about your Equal Pay amount, you can e-mail utility.billing@newbergoregon.gov or call 503537-1205 for more information. We would be happy to review the amount with you and explain how and why the amount was calculated. Keep in mind that we will not be adjusting the amount if the number of people in your household changes.
No. You can cancel the Equal Pay plan at any time. Upon cancellation, a true-up will be performed, and the difference between the amount consumed and the amount billed will be credited or charged to your account.
You must reside at the current service address for one year and have good payment history in order to be eligible for the Equal Pay plan. Good payment history is defined as no more than two late payments and/or no service interruptions for non-payment in the last 12 months. Your account must have a zero balance (all charges paid in full). Your Equal Pay will be calculated and begin with your next monthly billing.
No. As long as your account is in good standing, your plan will recalculate and reactivate every March and be applied to your April 1st statement.
You will need to reside for 12 months at your new address before you will be eligible to begin on Equal Pay. After 12 months you will need to sign up again at that time.
Please contact the Utility Billing Department at the Newberg Public Safety Building (401 E Third St, Newberg, OR 97132) or by phone at (503) 537-1205. Customer must complete the Equal Pay plan enrollment form. Enrollment via the City’s website will be available in the near future.
You need to let us know about any leak that you have repaired. We will verify that the leak has been fixed. The Equal Pay for the next year will be adjusted to reflect any leaks on the next Equal Pay period.
