FAQs

• What do the lights on my radio receiver mean?

  We get many questions when it comes to the lights on radio receivers. The link below should provide some insight on your receiver and what the lights indicate. Contact Itasca-Mantrap for further information.

  Understanding Your Radio Receiver

• What is the Basic Charge?

  What is the Basic Charge?

  The basic charge is the cost to make service available. This includes the cost for line construction and system maintenance, cost of poles, wire, equipment, vehicles, tree trimming, billing, etc.

  Why do many cities not have a basic charge?

  Cities and towns have an average of 48 customers per mile. Itasca-Mantrap has an average of 5.8 Members per mile of line. Therefore, Itasca-Mantrap has only 5.8 Members from which to recover the investment of $20,000 to build a mile of single-phase line. In contrast, a municipal or city could recover that cost from 48 customers. Itasca-Mantrap needs a basic charge because we do not collect enough revenue per mile of line to cover our fixed costs.

• Can I pay my bill on-line?

  Yes. Itasca-Mantrap members have the option of paying their bills on-line with e-bill. E-bill payments are safe, secure and private and allow you access to your account 24 hours a day. Payments can be made by checking or savings account, or by Visa, MasterCard or Discover credit card or debit card. Members new to e-bill will need to set up an account first. Once an account is set up through e-bill, Itasca-Mantrap will send monthly email notifications when the bill is ready for payment. Members who elect to discontinue receiving a printed statement will receive a link to the Itasca-Mantrap monthly newsletter, Newsline, within the e-bill notification email.

• Does Itasca-Mantrap have an automatic bill pay option?

  Yes. Members can sign up to have their payments electronically transferred from your checking or savings account to Itasca-Mantrap, or debited from your Visa, MasterCard or Discover credit card. Members will still receive a monthly statement showing the amount deducted on a pre-determined date. An automatic payment application is available by contacting our office or can be downloaded from our website. Fill out the appropriate form, sign and mail to our office.

• Does Itasca-Mantrap have a budget billing option?

  Yes. Itasca-Mantrap’s budget billing is based on a levelized plan, which means the 12-month average is recalculated each month and fluctuates according to the last 12 months use. The budget amount is rounded up to the nearest $5 amount.

  To sign up for budget billing, first stop by or call our office to obtain your calculated budget amount. Use this information to fill out the budget billing form, which can be obtained from our office staff or can be downloaded from our website. Complete and sign the form and mail to our office.

• What are capital credits?

  Because Itasca-Mantrap is a cooperative, owned by its members, it does not technically earn profits. Instead, any revenues over and above the cost of doing business are considered “margins.” These margins represent the members’ equity or ownership of the cooperative. This capital allows Itasca-Mantrap to finance operations and - to a certain extent - construction, with the intent that this capital will be repaid to you in later years.

  For more information, click here.

• Why does the power blink?

  Why does the power blink.pdf