Billing Policies

Sellwood Power District strives to provide clear information about rates and policies. Please take a moment to review our listed billing policies. If you have additional questions, contact us at (503) 771-5596 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Applicable Rate Schedules
  • The terms of this policy apply to rate schedules for residential, low use, irrigation, general service, large general service, and outdoor lighting.
Billing Periods
  • All rate schedules for electric service are based on one month’s electric service.
  • A month’s service covers approximately a 30-day period, not necessarily a calendar month.
  • For efficiency, Sellwood Power District may read meters and mail bills in multiple cycles a month. However, each cycle will generally be for a 30-day period and should generally be about the same date each month.
  • If a meter has been destroyed by fire, has stopped registering, or otherwise fails to register power and energy supplied to the customer correctly, Sellwood Power District will render a bill based on an estimate of the amount of power and energy supplied by using the best available information.
Due Date
  • All bills are due and payable at Sellwood Power District offices within 15 days of mailing.
Late Charge
  • If the bill for any month is not paid within 20 days from the date of mailing, an interest charge will be billed to the past due portion of the bill.  The interest charge, thereafter, will include all past charges, including previous interest charges.
  • The amount of interest charge is 1% per month of the past due balance.
Past Due Notice
  • The balance of monthly billing, if not paid, will be billed a second time with the next month’s billing.
  • The past-due portion of this billing will be marked as past due and due immediately.
Final Notice
  • A final notice letter will be sent 7 days after the second billing and past due notice and will allow 7 additional days to pay the account.
  • If full payment on the account is not received by the end of 7 days (or satisfactory arrangements made), the service may be disconnected without further notice.
Reconnect Charges
  • When a customer is disconnected for non-payment of a bill, the customer shall make the payment of the account in full plus a reconnect fee of $25, a collection fee, and a $150 deposit before the service is restored during normal working hours.
  • If the customer requests reconnection outside normal working hours, requiring overtime, they shall pay a $250 reconnect fee. In no case will a service disconnected for non-payment be reconnected after 9 pm.
  • Customers returning to Sellwood Power District who have past due accounts that have been written off due to bad debts or have been in the hands of a collections agency are subject to immediate disconnection of service or will not have their service connected or reconnected until past due account is paid plus the deposit, the reconnect charge, and the membership fee. If arrangements to pay the account are made and payment is not made as arranged, the service may be immediately disconnected with no further notice.
Arrangements
  • A customer who has an account that is past due may contact Sellwood Power District and make arrangements to a maximum time limit of 90 days to have the past due balance paid in full.
Irrigation Accounts
  • If a past due balance remains after December 31st, the service shall remain disconnected or be disconnected and will not be reconnected until the past due amount and the Annual Minimum, based on the horsepower of the pump, have been paid in full.
Multiple Accounts
  • If a customer is, or has been, receiving service through more than one service and is past-due on any account, the balance may be added to a customer’s open account and must be paid for the customer to continue to receive electric service.
  • If a customer is receiving service on an account that is past-due, additional service to a different meter or location will not be provided, connected, or reconnected until the balance has been paid.
Appeal
  • In case of a disputed bill and after it appears that the matter cannot be resolved at the staff level, the customer shall be permitted to promptly present it before the Board of Directors at its next regular meeting.
  • The appeal shall be in written form, signed by the person appealing, and shall contain a concise statement of the disputed matter, together with copies of any relevant exhibits.
  • The board shall consider the matter and have full discretion to resolve the dispute in a just and equitable manner.
Bad Check Fee
  • If a customer’s payment is returned unpaid to Sellwood Power District because of insufficient funds, closed account, or any other reason, the member will be charged the amount of $15 per returned item to cover the bank charges to the cooperative and handling of the returned item.
  • The customer also may be required to pay by cash or money order.
  • If a customer has 3 payments returned, they will be required to pay by cash or credit/debit card only for the following 12 months.
On-Premises Collection Fees
  • When a Sellwood Power District representative is dispatched to disconnect service or notify the customer of the past due amount, the customer shall be charged a collection fee.
  • The amount of the collection fee will be $15 for the first time within a twelve-month period, $30 for the second time within a 12-month period, $50 for the third time within a 12-month period.
  • The collection fee will remain $50 until the customer has gone 12 months without an on-premise disconnect notice.