FAQ

Welcome to our Frequently Asked Questions page!
Here you’ll find quick answers to the most common questions about city services, utilities, permits, community programs, and more. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, feel free to reach out; we’re here to help make navigating city information simple and convenient.

Utility Questions

The additional days affect the entire bill. The current billing practice has been to bill for 30 days of service. That applies to both water and other, non-metered services including sewer, sanitation, and fees. Since the additional days are meant to “catch up” non-billed days in the current process, the additional days include water meter reads and a pro-rated charge for non-metered services. The city is moving to a monthly billing period (instead of 30 day) to prevent this “billing slippage” from happening again

The decision to raise water utility rates is based on the ability of the utility rates to cover the cost of operating and maintaining the water distribution system within the city.

The City/Trust Manager and staff bring proposed increases to the Council/Trust and the final decision is voted on in an open meeting.

The City/Trust recently implemented an automatic process to assess and raise utility rates based on the federal inflation rate. This process will correct issues where rates remained unchanged for years and will allow for small to moderate increases based on inflation instead of a significant increase occurring every few years through a vote of the City Council/DCMSA.

The initial presentation and notification of the rate increase from staff were provided in the City Council/DCMSA Trust meeting of September 2, 2025. During that presentation, each fee was reviewed line by line, with staff explaining the purpose of the fee, how the revenue is used, and the justification for the proposed increase. Following the initial presentation, the item returned to the Council/DCMSA for consideration and approval on September 25, 2025, and again on October 6, 2025.

Agendas for each meeting were publicly posted on the City’s website, the City’s Facebook page, and at City Hall in accordance with the Open Meetings Act and the City’s standard public notice practices.

The City has been behind on billing for years due to three major factors: manual reading of analog water meters, limitations in the technology of the billing system, and the 30-day date ranges of the billing. Prior to the move to the digital water meters, all 8,000+ meters had to be read manually by an employee. Those reads would be entered into the billing system, evaluated by utility billing staff, and additional reads may have been needed to verify potential high or unusual usage. Once those reads were complete, the
finalized readings would be submitted to the billing vendor and bills would be sent out to the customer. This manual system took time and could be hindered by severe weather conditions, employee absence, or emergencies.

The billing system had limitations which prevented the ability to upload billing reads for a cycle until its previous cycle was completed. The date range of the bill also caused issues as the City billed 30 days of usage per month for 12 months (rather than full months of service for months that had 31 days), which caused a loss of 5 days a year. In 2020, the previous staff attempted to “catch
up” the billing by 30 days; however, the issues listed above were not addressed, which lead the billing dates to fall back behind.
We now have AMI meters, which send readings automatically without needing a person to check them, and we are changing our billing cycle and service periods to be full months of service. Starting with the February bill, every customer will be assigned to one of two billing cycles:

Cycle 1: Service dates from the 1st through the last day of each month.

Cycle 2: Service dates from the 15th of the month through the 14th of the next month.

The issues listed in Question 4 cause us to bill for the date ranges that are behind, leaving the new customers not to receive a bill until two months later.

“The City has been behind on billing for years due to three major factors: manual reading of analog water meters, limitations in the technology of the billing system, and the 30-day date ranges of the billing. Prior to the move to the digital water meters, all 8,000+ meters had to be read manually by an employee. Those reads would be entered into the billing system, evaluated by utility billing staff, and additional reads may have been needed to verify potential high or unusual usage. Once those reads were complete, the
finalized readings would be submitted to the billing vendor and bills would be sent out to the customer. This manual system took time and could be hindered by severe weather conditions, employee absence, or emergencies.

The billing system had limitations which prevented the ability to upload billing reads for a cycle until its previous cycle was completed. The date range of the bill also caused issues as the City billed 30 days of usage per month for 12 months (rather than full months of service for months that had 31 days), which caused a loss of 5 days a year. In 2020, the previous staff attempted to “catch
up” the billing by 30 days; however, the issues listed above were not addressed, which lead the billing dates to fall back behind.
We now have AMI meters, which send readings automatically without needing a person to check them, and we are changing our billing cycle and service periods to be full months of service. Starting with the February bill, every customer will be assigned to one of two billing cycles:

Cycle 1: Service dates from the 1st through the last day of each month.

Cycle 2: Service dates from the 15th of the month through the 14th of the next month.”

The current process to print bills does not have a way to differentiate between those on auto-pay, online bill pay, or manual pay for the purpose of receiving envelopes. The City is moving to a postcard bill with no envelopes in the coming weeks which will correct this situation.

No, the averaging for the sewer rate will only be based on water usage from 11/01/25-01/31/26. With the automated meter software, we will have the ability to calculate water usage during that specific time used for sewer calculations and it will not be based on the billed usage while we are changing the billing process.

The averaging of the sewer rate will only be based on actual water usage from 11/01/25-01/31/26 not the November bill. The City uses the actual water usage during the three months.

Residents are encouraged to contact the Utility Billing Office or email utilities@cityofdelcity.org if they have any questions about the charges on the bill. The City will work on adding an “Understanding Your Bill” section to the Utility Billing page of the City website in the coming days.

Information was provided at the Council/DCMSA meeting and distributed thereafter as soon as it was possible. The staff and management had to ensure that the corrective actions being taken were going to remedy the issue so the repeat of the 2020 attempt would not happen again.

These fees are used to maintain and improve utility infrastructure. Caps, reductions, or lowering the amounts of fees that are added to the bill are at the vote of the DCMSA Trustees.

The City has been behind on billing for years due to three major factors: manual reading of analog water meters, limitations in the technology of the billing system, and the 30-day date ranges of the billing.

The EMS fee was passed as a guarantee of service for all customers in Del City to ensure that they have guaranteed ambulance service within a specific response time in the event of an emergency. The subsidy that the City must pay is a set rate that was equally distributed to all customers. There is not a mechanism that would allow EMS service for some customers and not others based on an opt out.

This service is a set cost per month to allow bulk trash pickup monthly for all customers. This fee was initially implemented to allow for 2 pickups per year and did not increase when the City began offering monthly pickups.

Financial Questions

Yes, the budget for the past three fiscal years and the last approved audit (FY24) is available on the City website. You can find them by visiting www.cityofdelcity.gov under the City Clerk page.

The FY 2024 audit reflects a ($1,007,139) deficit in the General Fund. This deficit resulted from a combination of lower-than-expected revenues and higher operating expenses.

The revenue projection was less than anticipated due to one-time funding from previous fiscal years being included in the projection calculations. This inflated revenue projection, along with factors such as higher post-COVID costs, led to overspending. Safeguards, such as monthly budgetary reviews with management and department heads, timely reconciliations, and updated accounting procedures have all been implemented to correct this
issue. Timely budget amendments will also be initiated in the event of a revenue shortfall or other economic fluctuations.

The public can track City spending and financial performance through the City’s website where annual budgets, audits, and financial reports are available on the City Clerk page.

The public is encouraged to attend Council meetings on the first and third Monday of the month and see the expenditures and budget amendments on the agenda. The public may also Open Record Request budgets or financial summaries at any time through the City Clerk’s Office.

The budget is developed through the City Manager’s and City Clerk’s Offices with input from each Department Head. Final approval is given by a vote of the City Council in an open meeting in June.

The City Manager and City Clerk make the revenue estimates based on a three-year financial history and a review of economic trends within the City.

The Public Safety Sales Tax is still active and covers some personnel costs for police officers and firefighters. These funds are being expended, but they are restricted and would not have been available to cover the administrative positions that were laid off.

Please note the City does not have “missing money.” The audit shows that the City overspent in the General Fund (01) by ($1,007,139) and this is considered an audit finding. This finding was self-reported by City staff.


The City’s annual audit is conducted by two different independent state licensed auditing firms. Auditors review the City’s financial records, transactions, and internal controls to ensure accuracy and compliance with accounting standards. Auditors use documentation, bank records, and other financial evidence along with information provided by City staff to verify accuracy.

The City welcomes and appreciates all citizens offering their volunteer time or service. “Big ticket” purchases for the City are always required to either be bid out through a Request for Proposal (RFP), Invitation to Bid (ITB), or usage of a Statewide Contract (pre-negotiated pricing by the State). State law requires us to choose the “lowest, most responsible bidder” in these instances. Citizen input is welcome at Council, Board, or Commission meetings in regard to these matters.

General Questions

When you call the City’s main number at (405) 677-5741, you are given options to reach the department that you need and have the option to dial a direct extension for an employee. The City is not aware of any issues with the automated system. If you send a message to info@cityofdelcity.org, this inbox is monitored by multiple staff members that forward your email to the department that can answer your questions.

It is the responsibility of each department to follow up on calls or voicemail, and this is usually completed within one business day if a call back name and number are provided. In the event you do not receive a return call or email in a timely manner, your next step would be to contact the head of that department. Their contact information is available under the “City Directory” page of our website: www.cityofdelcity.gov. The City Manager and City Council
would be the final option in the event your call or message is not returned.

The City posts updates, announcements, and information (such as “Did You Know”) posts often on the various social media pages owned and controlled by the City. We do not post or respond to posts on private social media groups or pages.

The City utilizes social media platforms to send communications and notifications out to the public, but it is not designed to be a two-way communications platform between the public and the city; therefore, comments are disabled on our posts.

Should a member of the public need to communicate with the City, we ask that they call, email, or visit the department or staff as needed.

The City began long term planning through the development of the 20-Year Comprehensive Plan that was adopted and published in January 2024. This document serves as a 30,000 ft overview of the direction of the City of Del City. We are now exploring plans that are more focused: Master Parks and Trails Plan, River Stabilization Plan, Capital Improvement Plan, etc. The process includes having city staff, leadership, and contractors/consultants working to develop these long-term plans and include citizen input when needed. These plans are regularly reviewed and updated after adoption.

Ambulance transport decisions are not determined by the City of Del City. The patient can be taken to the hospital of their choice on the EMS contract. (We have been advised that the Heart Hospital will divert EMS patients that are not having cardiac issues to other emergency rooms).

Code Enforcement Officers in Del City have a uniform that includes a polo shirt with the City Logo as well as a protective vest that identifies them as Code Enforcement. Code Officers can be seen driving throughout the city in white Ford Broncos marked with the city logo.

Code Enforcement has the discretion to issue warnings, tickets, and initiate abatement processes as needed to address code issues on a property. Code Enforcement has received Community Feedback regarding their current processes and is committed to reviewing their procedures and making changes as necessary and appropriate. 

A code process flow chart has been created that provides a visual example on how a code complaint is handled from start to finish. This flow chart will be added to the city website and available for viewing under the Code Enforcement page in the coming days.

Code Enforcement may issue citations to the property owner, renter, or both, depending on the type of violation. Responsibility is determined by City ordinances, State Statutes, and the specific circumstance of the code issue.

The Department Head of each respective department initiates the process for hiring and (if necessary) dismissing a City employee. Final approval on each matter is determined by the City Manager. Department Heads and Supervisors are responsible for the training of their respective employees. The City also employs a Training & Safety Specialist that assists in finding training classes or other coursework that would benefit the employee in their role.

Yes, the City will utilize its online hiring tool, Human Resources department, or both to inform applicants that they were not selected for a position.