Marthasville city officials said customers who continue to fail to pay water bills on time should expect their service to be turned off in the near future. The city is taking a second crack at making sure delinquent bills are paid in a timely manner. Earlier this year, aldermen were made aware of instances when only $50 had been paid on a $1,100 balance and when no payments had been made for up to two months without any action taken by the city. While some progress has been made, aldermen believe they need to be stricter following the city's policy. According to an updated water bill report reviewed by the board of aldermen at last Tuesday's meeting, the city is owed $2,736.04 from 22 delinquent accounts. Late notices have been sent to the customers, according to the report provided by city clerk Becky Adams. The city's water bill policy states customers have 60 days from the original due date to pay their bill. A 10 percent late fee also is assessed by the city. However, board members learned last week payment arrangements through requests made to city clerk Becky Adams are continuing to be made. Also, water shutoffs are not occurring as frequently as needed. "It should not be on your shoulders," Alderman Leo Tobben told Adams. City attorney Chris Graville stated the late fees need to be dealt with sooner. "The point of the policy is you don't have people coming to Becky," Graville said. "It protects Becky." City officials raised concerns about the issue when Alderman Jason Kober was troubled by a report indicating $12,000 was owed in past due invoices. At the time, Adams described the report as a "snapshot of one day." Then at the June meeting, the board was advised the amount for delinquent water bills had dropped to $6,314.63. In a report presented to board members last week and dated Nov. 2, 22 delinquent accounts were behind in paying a total of $2,736.04 in charges. In another report that listed the accounts with balances overdue by 90 days, the city was owed $4,354.59, including a $1,501.86 balance that was not listed on the report detailing customers who received late notices. The entire balance owed to the city for 155 accounts was $13,629.80 at that time. City officials agreed they need to take a tougher approach in holding customers accountable when it comes to paying their bills. Graville advised city officials that any exceptions requested by water customers must be brought to the aldermen for approval. The procedure is similar to how other municipalities handle late payments. The city also might look into contracting with a collection agency to go after the delinquent payments. "Everyone has to be treated the same," he remarked. "That is the reason for the ordinance. Any deviation from the policy, the board has to approve."