The Sumner City Council approved an ordinance Feb. 17 that increases the penalty for those paying their water bill late.

In Sumner, a water bill is considered delinquent when payment is not made within 20 days after it is due.

The ordinance increases the penalty for delinquent accounts from 1 percent of a water bill’s outstanding balance with a minimum of $2.50, to 5 percent of the outstanding balance with a minimum penalty of $15.

If the past due balance is less than $35 the penalty is waived.

If a customer does not pay a portion or the total of the balance within 40 days of the bill’s due date, the city will have water service disconnected and a lien may be placed upon the property to which water is supplied.

The ordinance is now in effect.