MWB - Frequently Asked Questions

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1. When does the Madison Utilities Board meet?
2. Where is your office located?
3. What are your business hours?
4. Who are your Board Members?
5. I am a Senior Citizen, is there a discount I can receive on my bill?
6. Whom do I call if I am having problems with my trash pick up?
7. What is the cost to have a second meter installed for outside water usage only?
8. What must I do to get a building permit for construction of a new house?
9. How can I get a water and wastewater construction specifications manual?
10. What must I do to get approval of a new subdivision, final plat, site plan or certified plat?

11. Who is responsible for the storm water sewer system?
12. How do I get information on water or wastewater treatment provided by Madison Utilities?
13. Is wastewater service available in my area?
14. Why is there paint in my yard at the curb, or in the street?
15. What is the water pressure in my area?
16. Should I install a pressure regulator?
17. How can I find out what is in my drinking water?
18. How can I remove air or discolored water from my lines?
19. What to do if my water has a bad taste or odor?

1. When does the Madison Utilities Board meet?
The Board meets on the first and third Monday of each month at the Main Office located at 101 Ray Sanderson Drive.

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2. Where is your office located?
We are located at 101 Ray Sanderson Drive, approximately 0.7 mile west of Sullivan St. on Palmer Road across from Sherman Concrete.

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3. What are your business hours?
Our Main Office is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday except for board approved holidays.

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4. Who are your Board Members?

Terris Tatum - Chairman
Steve Haraway - Vice Chairman
Danny Garcia - Director
Mike Hubbard - Director
Lary Vannoy - Director

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5. I am a Senior Citizen, is there a discount I can receive on my bill?
We currently offer a 10% discount for our Senior Citizens. The discount will be deducted from residential water and wastewater bills of customers who are at least 65 years of age and the primary resident of the property being served. You must apply in person and will be required to show proof of age. The discount does not apply to second meters.

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6. Whom do I call if I am having problems with my trash pick up?
If you are having problems with your trash service (bulk items only), please call the city of Madison Public Works Department at 772-0000. If you are having problems with your garbage service, please call Madison County at 532-3718.

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7. What is the cost to have a second meter installed for outside water usage only?
Our customers have multiple options for obtaining a second meter. Please contact our office for the application that will best serve your needs.

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8. What must I do to get a building permit for construction of a new house?
You must apply for water and wastewater service in person and pay the applicable fees. Once the fees are paid, you can take your receipt to City Hall (Planning, Engineering & Building Department) to apply for a building permit.

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9. How can I get a water and wastewater construction specifications manual?
To view our standards online, go to our Home page and click on "New Developments". The standards are listed under Water and Sewer Construction Specifications. You can also pick up a copy at our Main Office, but there will be a nominal charge to cover our production cost.

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10. What must I do to get approval of a new subdivision, final plat, site plan or certified plat?

To better serve our customers we have combined our turn in and review process with the City of Madison Planning, Engineering and Building Department. The following procedures should be followed to submit subdivision plats and site plans. Items submitted for review will not be placed on the agenda until the steps outlined below have been completed.

1. Submit nine (9) copies of the complete plans to the Secretary of the Planning Commission, Gina Guffey, 30 days prior to the regular scheduled Planning Commission meeting. The nine (9) copies will be distributed by the Planning Division to the following for review:

Planning Division
Engineering Department
Fire Department
Police Department
Public Works Department
Madison Utilites

2. Madison Utitlites reviews all plans for compliance to Madison Utilities Specifications. Drawings are marked up and returned to Gina Guffey for Technical Review at the City.

3. The Technical Review Committe meets at 9:00 AM in conference Room 311A on the lower floor of City Hall, 15 days prior to the Planning Commission meeting. This time and place are subject to change so when you submit your project, you should check with staff to verify them. All projects are discussed in detail at this meeting and applicants will be given the opportunity to discuss any issues discovered during staff review. Applicants will be given a list of corrections that are required in order for the project to comply with City regulations and ordinances.

4. The issues discussed in the Technical Review meeting must be resolved and corrected drawings must be submitted 7 days after the Technical Review meeting. The applicant must submit 3 full sets of the corrected plans and 11 sets of the plan page (or in the case of a site plan, the site plan page) to the Secretary of the Planning Commission, Gina Guffey.

5. Applicants are responsible for sending their own certified mailings for projects that are subject to a public hearing. The staff can assist you with procedures if you desire.

6. Failure to follow these procedures, or to submit corrected drawings on time, or to resolve issues discussed by the Technical Review Committee by the deadline may result in the removal of the applicant's project from the Planning Commission agenda.

7. After the project is approved at Technical Review it will be placed on the Madison Utilities agenda. The Madison Utilities board meets on the First and Third Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in the Main Office Conference Room, 101 Ray Sanderson Drive, Madison, Alabama.

8. The Planning Commission of the City of Madison meets the 3rd Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 100 Hughes Road, Madison, Alabama. Please contact Gina Guffey, Planning Commission Secretary at (256) 464-8427 or gina.guffey@madisonal.gov for specific meeting and turn in dates.

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11. Who is responsible for the storm water sewer system?
Calls related to storm water should be directed to the City of Madison Public Works Department. Their phone number is 772-0000.

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12. How do I get information on water or wastewater treatment provided by Madison Utilities?
You can contact our Plant Superintendent or Engineering Department at 461-0845 ext. 115. You can also email your questions to CustServ@MadisonUtilities.org and we will forward to the appropriate person.

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13. Is wastewater service available in my area?
To find out if service is available in your area, please contact our office at 461-0845 or email your request to CustServ@MadisonUtilities.org.

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14. Why is there paint in my yard at the curb, or in the street?
Utilities use temporary paint to mark the location of buried lines and pipe before digging for repairs. The national color code for line locating is as flows.

Blue - Water
Green -Wasterwater
Red - Electric
Yellow - Gas
Orange - Telecommunications
White - Proposed excavation area

The paint will wash away in a few days with rainfall. Failure to cooperate with other utilities by locating facilities can lead to service interruptions and worker injuries. Your cooperation in this matter is appreciated.

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15. What is the water pressure in my area?
If you are having pressure problems, you can contact our office at 772-0253 or e-mail us at CustServ@MadisonUtilities.org. We will work with you to determain if you may be having problems.

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16. Should I install a pressure regulator?
It is recommended that you install a pressure regulator if the pressure in your area is 85 pounds per square inch (psi) or above. The regulator installed should have a pressure rating of 15-200 psi. This device can be provided and installed by a plumber of your choice.

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17. How can I find out what is in my drinking water?
Please see our latest Water Quality Report online. From the Home page, select the "Water Ops" tab and select the Water Quality Report. We also mail a copy of the latest report to each customer during the month of June. If you have other questions about our water quality please contact our office or email us CustServ@MadisonUtilities.org .

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18. How can I remove air or discolored water from my lines?
To remove air from your lines, open the water fixture at the highest elevation of your home. To remove discolored water, open the fixture at the lowest elevation of your home. If the problem persists, please contact our office at 772-0253 or email us at CustServ@MadisonUtilities.org .

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19. What to do if my water has a bad taste or odor?
While we hope this never happens, sometimes in older homes you may experience a taste or odor issue that can be associated with older plumbing lines and fixtures. A possible solution is to open the fixture at the point of the greatest odor and let it flow from one to five minutes. If the problem persists, contact our office at 722-0253 or email us at CustServ@MadisonUtilities.org .

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