The City of Baxter bills for an averaged sewer consumption during the usage months of June, July, and August on residential accounts. Consumption from October, November, and December from the prior year are averaged and sewer charges during the three summer months are based upon this average consumption.  If you are a new customer without account history we use 4,000 gallons for your average sewer consumption until an account history is established. Of course, if you actually use less water than your averaged sewer amount you will be charged the lesser amount.

Please note this is only in effect for June, July, and August usage. Any water used outside during other months, such as May and September, will be charged with the full sewer amount. As an alternative, the City encourages customers who irrigate outside to purchase a separate irrigation water meter for the most accurate results. These customers are charged the irrigation rate for outdoor water usage only and sewer charges do not apply.

Please call Utility Billing at (218) 454-5121 if you have any questions.

• Auto Pay Program

  The City of Baxter’s Utility Bill Auto Pay program is a service that pays your utility bill automatically every month. This free service allows you to have your utility bill with us automatically deducted from your checking or savings account on a recurring monthly basis. Please complete the following Auto Pay form to sign up for this service.
  
  Auto Pay Application Form

• Credit Card

 Coming soon

• By Mail

  Send payment to: City of Baxter, Attn: Utility Billing, 13190 Memorywood Dr, Baxter, MN 56425

• Drop off/In Person

  • Use the metal drop box in front of City Hall, 13190 Memorywood Dr
  • Use the drop bin or pay in person at the front desk of City Hall

Leaks can be costly – even the smallest leak can cause a spike in water bills.  A pin-hole size leak can amount to losing 185 gallons per day which equates to a loss of  5,550 gallons per month.  It is highly recommended to have any leak repaired by a licensed plumber.

Toilets are most often the cause of high water bills. To check if your toilet is running, place a few drops of food coloring in the tank of your toilet. Let the toilet sit for 15 minutes and check the bowl. If the color appears in the bowl without flushing the toilet, you have a leak. There are also free leak detector tablets at City Hall that work similar to using food coloring.

All utility customers in the City of Baxter are billed on a monthly basis. The bills are sent around the 20th of each month and due on the 10th of the following month.

There can be many reasons for an increase in your water bill. First, check the current reading on your water meter. If it is less than the “present reading” printed on your bill then the reading last month was incorrect. Call Utility Billing at (218) 454-5121 with your current reading to have  your bill adjusted. If you find your new reading is more than the “present reading” printed on your bill that means you were billed for the correct usage. Also, if your meter readings had been estimated in the past and then we received an actual reading for the current bill, we may be catching up on your reading due to underestimating prior months.

If your meter readings were not the problem, you must now determine what caused your bill to increase.

First, did you do any lawn irrigation or outside watering? If so, this is most likely the reason for the increase in your bill. It is surprising to some people how much water can actually be used for lawn irrigation, especially if you have an in-ground sprinkler system. If the bill is for usage in June, July, or August you will be billed for an average sewer amount, however, if it is for any other month you will be billed the full sewer charges. The City recommends installing a separate water meter for irrigation purposes. You will then be charged only for the water irrigation rate on this meter based upon the actual water usage and no sewer charges will apply.

If you did not do any outside watering, then you most likely have a leak somewhere. Most often it is a toilet, so we recommend checking them first. To check if your toilet is running, place a few drops of food coloring in the tank of your toilet. Let the toilet sit for 15 minutes and check the bowl. If the color appears in the bowl without flushing the toilet you have a leak. There are also free leak detector tablets at City Hall that work similar to using food coloring.

If your toilets are not a problem, check your water meter when no appliances or faucets are running. Open the meter register cover and shine a flashlight for a second to activate the display. If the meter reading is increasing, when you are not using any water in the house it means water is running somewhere you are not aware of. We suggest you call a licensed plumber to help diagnose and fix the problem.

Please complete either the application or termination form in order to set up or cancel service. These forms may be found on our website and are also available at City Hall, 13190 Memorywood Drive. If you use the website to access the forms you may either use the web version of the form to submit it online or print the PDF version and mail/fax/drop it off to us. 

If you are leaving Baxter for the winter, you have two options for your water bill. They are as follows:

1. Keep your water on and pay the minimum bill each month for base fees. With this option, you can notify us to have the monthly bill sent to your out-of-town address, sign up for autopay & let us know to toss your bill or provide forwarding address, or we can estimate the total due for the time you are gone before you leave and you can pre-pay your account.
2. Turn your water off for the time that you are away. City staff will turn off the water at the street when you leave and back on when you return for a small fee per the current fee schedule. During the months that the water is off, the monthly bill will be for storm water and MN test fee current year rates. Instead of billing you monthly for this amount, we will figure it into your final bill for the season so you don’t have to worry about receiving a bill while you are away. If you elect this option, there is a form at City hall on our website you will need to complete.All forms can be found at: https://www.baxtermn.gov/government/departments/finance/utility-billing

We do offer auto pay from a checking or savings account so you won’t have to worry about remitting payment monthly. You can also pay online manually with a credit card for a fee.