BILLINGS — Utility customers in Billings will now receive one combined bill for the months of July and August, changing the payment period from a 30-day cycle to a 60-day one.
The Billings Public Works Department announced on Thursday that they would be expediting the delay process caused by issues the city experienced after switching over to a new billing software.
This continues the same issues the department experienced last month when June bills did not go out on time. They say 43,000 customers have now received those bills, with the remaining 1,000 set to get theirs next week.
“This system will be much better when we get it in place and it's operational. We do believe this system is the right move,” said Public Works Director Debi Meling.
The delayed bills have caused some confusion and frustrations among residents in Billings. Annette and Glenn Robison were unaware of the utility bill delay and thought they were late on a payment.
“I didn't realize that I had missed a bill, which maybe I didn't, and so I got double billed for the next month and I just thought it was because I missed it,” said Robison.
Another resident had heard from her husband that their utility bill was missing and was unaware of the delays.
“My husband, who pays the bills, was rumbling a little bit about the late bill,” said Barbara Archer. "He was fussing around the house, 'Where's the bill? Did I miss the bill?'"
Meling said that the city will not charge any late fees or issue water turn-offs for the pay period, ensuring that a 60-day notice will be notified. Customers will also not move into a higher-paying tier.
“Getting a two-month bill is going to be a shock and it's going to be obviously very inconvenient for a lot of people,” said Meling. “We doubled those tiers to make sure that with the 60-day bill, people don't jump up into a higher tier earlier, so your bill should be correct as far as that goes.”
However, residents expressed worries about the financial stress a double bill could cause for some, especially if they were not previously notified. Many had felt that the city had not communicated properly with their customers on the issues they were having.
“They should let people know, it's tough economy. Getting a double bill, that's really hard for people,” said Robison. "No calls, no notifications that anything that we were having issues or they were sending them out late or anything like that.”
In order to help alleviate the delay process, the department said they can assist those who need it.
“We can help you set up a payment plan if it's an amount that is going to be hard to pay at one time. We'll just set up a payment plan and make sure that we work with you to get that taken care of,” said Meling.
The department, and also residents, hope the errors in their system will be resolved after August.
“We don't pay as close attention as we should. We put a lot of faith in the people that we get utilities and everything from. Maybe we need to look closer,” said Robison.
To visit the City of Billings FAQ page about the delay, click here.
