Utilities General Information
Municipal Utilities
The City of Tonganoxie provides water, sewer, and contracted solid waste utility services. Businesses within City limits are required to utilize municipal utilities. Please review the water and sewer regulations for information on connecting to City water and sewer service, maintenance responsibilities and other important information.
For information on Tonganoxie's water safety, review Water Consumer Confidence Reports covering the current calendar year and past years.
The utility bills are mailed the first business day of each month and are due by 4:30 p.m. on the 15th of the month. After that time/date a 10% penalty will be added to your balance. Shut-off notices are mailed on the next working day following the 15th of every month as a reminder of the unpaid bill. This notice also contains the date your water will be shut off if the bill remains unpaid. Shut off date falls on the second to last business day of the month. If that falls on a holiday, shut-off will occur the next business day. If that falls on a Friday, shut-off will occur the following Monday. On the shut-off date, in addition to the regular bill and 10% penalty, the re-connection fee is $30. No re-connection of service is available after regular business hours on the shut-off date.
The division of each charge is explained below. All user charges shown are effective as of April 1, 2026. For more detailed information on previous utility charges and the complete list of changes effective April 1, 2026 please review Current Rate Information.
Water - The monthly base charge for water service is based on water meter size. For the typical-sized residential meter, the monthly base charge is $18.65. For each 1,000 gallons of metered water usage the charge is $6.56.
Sewer - The monthly base charge for sewer service is also based on water meter size. For the typical-sized residential meter, the monthly base charge is $21.94. Residential monthly sewer unit charges are based on winter averaging, or calculating the average metered water usage billed during 3 winter months (bills generated on February 1, March 1, and April 1) when water usage for a residential property typically does not include irrigation or recreational activities. Until a residential customers has established a winter average calculation, the sewer unit charge shall be the most recent average of the metered water usage of all residential customers in the utility. For each 1,000 gallons of water usage the sewer unit charge is $5.30. Commercial customers are charged sewer unit charges according to their metered water consumption. Sanitary sewers do not have meters reading the amount of discharge into the public sewer mains.
Solid Waste (Trash & Recycling) - Trash and recycling (optional) services for residential customers are contracted and provided by Honey Creek Disposal Service, LLC, with charges included in the City's utility billing statement. Your property's trash collection day depends on where you live. Trash service charges are $16.25 per month. Optional bi-weekly curbside recycling is $5.50 per month. Commercial businesses must provide for their own trash disposal service and no provider restrictions are currently applied for this service by the City.
Trash bins are required to be placed at the curb by 7:00 AM on the day of collection. In the event of a holiday observed by Honey Creek, trash and recycling will be collected one day late for all days of the week following the observed holiday. Current observed holidays include:
- New Year's Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day
Yard Waste - Yard waste is collected on the same day each week as the customer's regular trash collection. All leaves and brush must be in craft paper bags designed for yard waste disposal. Plastic bags are prohibited. Tree trimmings must be bundled. Bundles must be tied securely, shall not be more than 18 inches in diameter, not more than four feet long or more than 65 pounds in weight.
Bulky Items - Bulky item collection is the first scheduled trash day of the month for residential customers. Residents may put out two bulky items per month. Large items include household furniture, appliances, bicycles and like items. Additional bulk item collection may be scheduled for a special charge by contacting City Hall to request this one-time service.
The following items are not allowed and will not be collected: lumber, carpet, building or remodeling materials, tires, chemicals, oil, paint, rocks, dirt, concrete, animal remains, and appliances containing refrigerant, commercial or industrial waste, or materials of an explosive or toxic nature.
Storm Water - The City created a storm water utility in 2018 which applies monthly fees of $1.50 per month for residential customers and $3.00 per month for non-residential customers to help fund improvements and maintenance of storm and surface water facilities and infrastructure aimed at ensuring the protection of property from damage.
Fire Assessment - The City created a monthly assessment charge in 1998 which is applied to all City utility customers to help fund the purchase, maintenance, and upgrade of equipment and services in the City for fire protection services across the City. The monthly assessment charges were updated in 2009 to the current rate of $3.00 per month for residential utility customers and $4.00 per month for non-residential utility customers.
__________________________________________________
For automatic debit payments from your bank account for City utility bills, fill out and send the ACH Debit Authorization Form.
Municipal Utility Schedule
The City of Tonganoxie schedules connections, disconnections, and transfers Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. There is no fee to transfer service from one address to another within the City limits.