How do I read my bill?

Your monthly bill contains charges for water usage and sewer usage (if applicable). Monthly bills can be paid at City Hall at 45 E Broad, Cookeville, TN or online using the City of Cookeville's Customer service website.

To better help understand your bill we have provided a sample bill of a typical family who lives inside the city limits and have used 3,000 gallons of water and sewer for 1 month. 

 Sample of Current Typical Monthly Bill for Homeowner Inside City Limits:

                                   Prior Reading              Current Reading            Usage         Amount
                         (dial reading from meter)  (dial reading from meter)   (in gallons)    (in $)         

Water Charges             5090                             5120                          30                 9.00
                          (509,000 gallons)             (512,000 gallons)          (3000 gallons)

Water Storage Rate             ($0.10 for each 1,000 gallons)                                        0.30   

Sewer Charges            (same reading from water charges)                     30                14.50

This bill breaks down as follows:
For water charges, the first 2,000 gallons are charged at a flat fee of $6.50. For each 1,000 gallons thereafter, there is a charge of $2.50 per thousand. These two charges combine for the $9.00 charge in the sample above.

The water storage rate is a charge from the Corps of Engineers to get water from the Center Hill Lake. It calculates to 0.10 cents per thousand gallons of water used per month.

For sewer charges, the bill is calculated from the amount of water you have used. In the sample above the customer used 3,000 gallons and therefore the customer will be charged $5.50 (minimum charge) and all gallons over zero usage is $3.00 per 1,000 gallons. Therefore, taking the minimum charge of $5.50 and adding $9.00 for the 3,000 gallons of wastewater gives the total of $14.50.

 

For a comparison of how the City of Cookeville rates compare to other parts of the state click here. 

Are assistance programs available for those customers who can't afford their water and sewer bills?
Yes, there are programs available such as Budget Billing, Bank Draft, and Social Security program. You can find out more about these programs by calling customer service at (931) 520-5213 or visiting their website here.

 For more information about your water and sewer bill, call Gerald Tinch at (931) 520-5229