The City Office will be closed on Wednesday, December 5, 2018 so that I can stay home with a sick child. I hope to have the office open on Thursday morning 9-12, but check back tomorrow.
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The minutes of the November 13 Council Meeting have been uploaded to the city website on the Minutes page. Additionally, links to all ordinances and resolutions passed in 2018 have been added to the Ordinances page. Please take a moment to review.
Please note: New water shut off procedures will begin in January, as described in Ordinance 004-2018. Letters will no longer be certified mailed or hand delivered before water is shut off for non-payment. Instead, your monthly water bill will serve as notice that you have a past due balance. If the total owed is more than the 'current charges', you will be at risk of being shut off.
Example: Your bill for January usage will be printed on January 30 and is due on February 15th. If no payment is received by February 15th, you will be charged the late fee (currently $10, subject to change by resolution). Your February bill will be printed on February 28th and will show a previous balance, no payments received will be listed, and a current balance. The total due will be the bill from January and February. If payment of the entire January balance is not received by March 15th, your water will be shut off on March 16th. You will be charged a turn off fee (currently $50, subject to change by resolution), a turn on fee (currently $50, subject to change), as well as the entire account balance owed - which in this example is both January and February balances including late fees - all fees and fines must be paid before water service will be restored.
*NO Exceptions Nor Extensions*
Please make sure you understand this new policy. If you have any questions, please contact the City Office via email (montrose@goldenwest.net) or phone (363-5065) or stop in during regular business hours.
Please also review Ordinance 005-2018 that updates the ordinances regarding owner/lessee liable for utility bills. This can be found on the city website, in the Montrose Herald on November 22, or pick up a paper copy at the City Office. The minimum base rates for water and sewer service will be charged to every property that has a water meter installed. This includes vacant properties. The land owner, dwelling owner and tenant are all equally liable for payment of the utility bills. A second reading of that ordinance will be done at the December 11 council meeting.
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Upcoming Office Closures:
Emails will be answered as time permits during this break.
Reminder: The City Office will close following the School District calendar and closures.
City Office Walk-In Hours:
Monday 9:00-12:00 & 1:00-3:00
Wednesday 9:00-12:00
Thursday 9:00-12:00
City Office: 605-363-5065
Emergency Maintenance: 605-370-1240
montrose@goldenwest.net
We are now on Facebook!
Don't get the Montrose Herald and feeling out of the loop? City Council agendas and minutes are posted on this website. Tell your friends and neighbors!
Montrose is a small South Dakota community of approximately 480 people located along the banks of the Vermillion River. The town offers a seasonal campground and pool. The downtown offers Security State Bank, Post Office, Raggedy Ann's furniture and decor, CJ's at the Wellington restaurant, The Office Bar, and the Montrose Gas Plus convenience store. Montrose also offers a Public School for grades K-12, as well as City Daycare, which provides preschool classes. It is home to 3 churches: St Patrick's Catholic Church, St John's Lutheran and Montrose United Methodist. Come visit us or check us out as a place to reside. We're just a short commute east to Sioux Falls, or west to Mitchell.
Recycling is picked up 2nd and 4th Fridays.
It is not picked up on 1st, 3rd or 5th Fridays.
Water Rates have increased. Assuming usage stays the same, you can expect your bill to go up by $11.00 each month starting with the bill printed at the end of November.
See the newly updated Ordinances page for links to all ordinances and resolutions passed in 2018.
NEW WATER SHUT OFF PROCEDURES
begin in January 2019
ORDINANCE_004-18_Water_Shutoffs.pdf
Updated Water/Sewer Owner/Lessee Liable Ordinance
ORDINANCE_005-2018_WATERSEWER.pdf
Please check how your sump pump is being discharged. It should be discharging outside, not into the city sewer system. We've been monitoring water usage vs sewer usage and it shows a significant amount of ground water is entering the system and getting pumped into the lagoons.
Not only does it cause increased maintenance and expenses for the city, I found several articles online from other cities citing illegal sump pump drainage as the cause for sewer backups into homes. Yuck. No one wants that.
Sump Pumps need to discharge outside so it can drain to the river rather than the lagoons.
We will be doing a sewer system study once we obtain funding from DENR, which will include looking for illegal discharge of sump pumps. Please check to ensure your sump pump is draining outside.
THANK YOU!
