November 25, 2019
On Monday, Dec. 9, the City of Lawrence will launch a new utility billing system and online customer portal. The new online portal will allow customers to view water usage, make online payments, view payment history, modify contact information and view or print bills.
Customers who currently receive their bill electronically will need to register for an account in the new customer portal and re-opt into paperless billing. As a security measure, anyone currently signed up for auto-pay or scheduled payments through the Paymentus portal will need to re-register for auto-pay through the new customer portal. Customers who signed up for auto-pay in-person do not need to re-register for auto-pay.
To transfer from the old billing system to the to new billing system, the utility billing office will be closed on Friday, Dec. 6. This means that customers will not be able to make utility bill payments in person, online or over the phone from 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, until 8 a.m. Monday, Dec. 9. To assist customers with the transition to the new system, all utility billing late fees for December will be waived and there will be no service disconnects in the month of December. The utility billing office anticipates longer than normal wait times on the phone as the transition to the new system takes place. We appreciate your patience as we work to improve the system.
In the new billing system, customers will be assigned a new, 13-digit identification number, composed of a seven-digit customer number and a six-digit account number.
The seven-digit customer number is linked to the name on the utility bill – meaning that number will remain the same for a customer at any address in Lawrence. The six-digit account number is tied to the specific service address. Customers with multiple service addresses will have the same seven-digit customer number, but a separate six-digit account number for each address.
Beginning Monday, Dec. 9, the new 13-digit identification number will be needed to make a payment online or over the phone. All customers will receive their new identification number in a notification letter sent via email or traditional mail, during the week of December 16. The notification letter will also include an insert with step-by-step instructions for registering your electronic billing account and opting in to paperless billing. The number will also be on the first bill generated from the new billing system. Starting December 9, any customers needing their new identification number prior to receiving it in the mail or via email should call 785-832-3224.
A sample notification letter can be viewed on the City of Lawrence website, here: https://assets.lawrenceks.org/utility-billing/new-account-sample.pdf
For questions, please call Utility Billing Customer Service at 785-832-7878 or visit the Utility Billing webpage for more information.