By ROBIN SHANNON
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — A new application recently added to the St. John Parish web site is making it easier for residents to take care of their water bills.

St. John Public Information Officer Buddy Boe said the St. John billing department has added a feature to allow residents to pay their water bills online from home. Boe said the water payment was the only bill the parish collects that required a mailed payment or an in-person visit to the parish’s offices.

Boe said the parish decided to add the feature in an effort to make payments more convenient for residents in the hopes that those who still have exorbitant amounts past due may be more likely to make a larger payment. The parish has spent the past year working with residents who have delinquent water bill accounts. Boe said at one point last year, past due bills totaled about $250,000.

“The old system required residents to write out a check in the full amount due and in some cases that amount could be as much as $800,” said Boe. “We understand that most of our residents don’t have that much money in their bank accounts, so we set up our system so that they can pay with a credit card if they wanted to.”

Boe said residents can enter any amount they wish to pay and the method of payment they wish to use. All payments would be posted on the day the payment is entered.

To use the water bill payment feature, visit the St. John Parish Web site at www.sjbparish.com and click on the online water bill icon at the top left of the page.

“This is just another step toward making the parish Web site work for our residents 24 hours a day,” said Boe.