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Tax Office and Utility Billing

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1. Does the city provide electronic delivery of utility bills?

The city does offer e-statement billing through email for utility bills. You can request email billing upon starting new service or anytime by emailing us or request to be setup online at the city's website.

2. What are the requirements for starting new utility service?

To start new utility service you will need to fill out an application and have a valid form of identification such as a driver's license, a state ID, a passport, a TWIC card, or a Federal ID if a business. There is a $100 deposit for residential service and a commercial deposit based on the type of business being set up, the deposit varies from $100 to $1,000 or more.

The deposit can be waived for residential service only as long as the customer can provide evidence from their previous water utility that they had water service in the past 12 months without any late fees. Bring the application and ID with the deposit to the Water Department in city hall 710 E San Augustine St during working hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you need further assistance, please call the Water Department at 281-478-7221.

3. Does the city offer a property tax homestead exemption?

The City offer a 20% homestead exemption

For example a house valued at $120,000 with a homestead exemption would be taxed as follows:
120,000 x .20 = 24,000
120,000 - 24,000 = 96,000
96,000 x .7200/100 = $691.20

4. Where can I pay my property taxes?

• You can pay inside City Hall at the Collections Department counter 710 E. San Augustine St. during working hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• You can pay at the drive-through at City Hall during working hours Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 710 E. San Augustine St or at the payment drop box 24 hours a day seven days a week.
• You can pay by mail at the following mailing address.
  City of Deer Park - Collections
  P.O. Box 700
  Deer Park TX 77536
• You can pay online at the city's website.

5. When are property taxes due?

Most property taxes are due by January 31.

6. When is my bill due?

All utility bills are due on the 20th of each month

7. Where can I pay my city utility bill?

• You can pay inside City Hall at the Collections Department counter 710 E. San Augustine St. during working hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• You can pay at the drive-through at City Hall during working hours Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm 710 E. San Augustine St or at the payment drop box 24 hours a day seven days a week.
• You can pay by mail at the following mailing address.
  City of Deer Park - Collections
  PO Box 700
  Deer Park TX 77536
• You can pay on-line at the city's website.

8. How do I read my water meter or check for leaks?

How to Read Your Water Meter and Check for Leaks Check Your Meter Below are instructions on how to check your meter to find out how much water is going through the meter. Knowing the volume of water will help you determine the amount of water you are using or the possible size of a leak.

1. This test should be conducted for a 60 minute period, during which time no water is being used at your location.
2. Find your water meter, in some cases the meter is located in the backyard, but typically it is located in a covered box in the front of the house close to the sidewalk or street.
3. Write down the numbers indicated on the meter dial at the start of this test. Also notate the position of the sweep hand on the front of the meter.
4. Return to check the meter reading after 30 minutes have passed and again after 60 minutes.
5. If the numbers have not changed, it is probable that you do not have a leak in your water lines or perhaps the leak is intermediate.
6. If the numbers have changed without your using any water, you may have a leak. The meter readings work similar to the odometer on a car. To determine the amount of water going through the meter you can subtract the original numbers from the current reading to determine how many gallons have gone through the meter. The usual residential meter will show thousand gallons increments on the dial with the numbers that have a white background and hundreds to tens of gallons of water shown on the dial with a black background. The sweep hand on the meter is a ten gallon sweep, so every time the hand moves from one digit to the next one gallon of water has gone through the meter. The meter shown above indicates that 369,206.7 gallons of water have gone through the meter.
7. The most common culprit for water leaks are toilets. Hundreds to thousands of gallons of water can go down the drain from a running toilet over a month’s time. To check your toilet simply put a colored liquid (or leak detection tablets) in the top tank. Wait 30 minutes or so. If the color from the top tank appears in the bowl without your flushing the toilet you have water going down the drain.
8. If you need assistance in locating your meter or understanding how to read your water meter, you may call the Water Department at City Hall at 281-478-7221 or send an email to Customer Service.

9. When is my water meter read?

Your water meter is read monthly.

10. Does the city make adjustments for leaks or filling pools?

The City does make leak adjustments on the excess sewer amount charged in some cases. When requesting a leak adjustment you will need to provide a receipt showing that the repairs have been done and were done in a timely manner.

You may also request a pool fill sewer adjustment when filling your pool for the first time or filling your pool after repairing a pool leak. For a pool fill adjustment we require a receipt from the purchase of the pool or repair and a letter or evidence from the pool company stating the capacity of the pool in gallons.

11. When is garbage picked up?

Garbage pickup has two schedules.

• Mondays and Thursdays (residents closer to Highway 225)
• Tuesday and Fridays (residents closer to Spencer)
• Heavy Trash pickup starts every Wednesday.

You can call the Collections Office at 281-478-7221 for specific information on when your garbage is scheduled for pickup. You can call Public Works for questions dealing with what can be thrown away in the garbage, heavy trash pickup, or questions dealing with recycling at 281-478-7252.

12. Where can I purchase garbage bags?

You can purchase garbage bags for garbage pickup at any store that sells garbage bags. You can also purchase garbage bags at city hall in the Utility Department for $21.55 per box, ID required.

13. What are the city's water, sewer, and storm water rates?

• As of January 2017, the base rate for the first 2,000 gallons of water and sewer will increase from $22.60 to $23.74 per month
• At that time, each additional 1,000 gallons will be charged as follows:
  • Water $4.59
  • Sewer $4.94
• Commercial rates maybe higher depending on the number of units at the business
• Base storm water rate is $1.32 per residence

14. Does the city offer automatic draft to pay my utility bill? if so, how do i sign up?

The city does offer ACH bank draft so that a customer can automatically have their utility bill paid from their checking account. The accounts which are setup for automatic draft will still receive a statement with wording on the statement to indicate that the account is set to be paid by draft.

The bank draft accounts are drafted on the 20th of each month. To set up your account for automatic draft simply fill out the draft request form and include a voided check or banking information sufficient to set up the draft.

15. Does the city accept credit card payments? Are the payments accepted online or by phone?

The city accepts VISA, Master Card, and American Express. The City does not accept Discover Card for utility payments. You can pay at the Collections Department in City Hall or at the City Hall drive-through during working hours, or online at the City's website. The City does not accept payments over the phone.

16. What is the city's property tax rate?

For a complete ten year history of the City's adopted tax rate go to the Tax Department's webpage.

17. Does the city offer an over 65 or disability exemption?

The city offers a $50,000 exemption off the value for granted over 65 and disability exemptions. For example a house valued at $120,000 with a homestead exemption and over 65 or disability exemption would be taxed as follows.

1. $120,000 x $.20 = $24,000
2. $120,000 - $24,000 = $96,000
3. $96,000 - $50,000 = $46,000
4. $46,000 x $.7200 / $100 = $331.20

The city also has a tax ceiling in effect which places a cap on what a resident who has an over 65 or disability exemption will pay for property taxes.

18. Where do I get more information on the value being assessed on my house or information on exemptions?

The Harris County Appraisal District (HCAD) is responsible for determining the value and exemptions granted of all properties on the City's tax roll. For specific questions about your property appraisal or exemptions, please contact HCAD at 713-957-7800 or on HCAD's website
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