Don't listen to Rap, Melissa... No guts, no glory... Shutting off the valve outside ain't all that hard as long as your arm is long enough to reach the valve.... You need an "adjustable wrench to do it... It will turn off with just a 90 degree turn (most are counterclockwise)... Okay, you say that your adjustable wrench is too long??? Okay, here's the trick for that.... You can turn the valve with it even if the wrench isn't exactly horizontal... Actually most will turn if you have the wrench on the "ear" of the valve at 45 degrees...

Plan B... Don't pay yer water bill and then when the public works shuts it off, do the fix before callin' 'um up to pay it...

B~