Four changes coming to your Longview utility bill

"We're excited to bring our customers a more modern, easier-to-use billing system," said City Manager Jennifer Wills. "We also recognize that making a change this big won't be without its challenges. There may be some bumps along the way, but our team is working hard to minimize disruptions, help customers prepare, and provide support throughout the transition."

1. Monthly bills to help with budgeting

Earlier this year, City Council approved moving all utility customers to monthly billing when the new system launches. While some customers already receive monthly bills, others currently receive a bill every two months.

For those customers, monthly billing means smaller, more frequent bills rather than one larger bill every two months. The goal is to make utility expenses easier to plan for and manage.

Because of the timing of meter readings and billing cycles during the transition, your first bill may be higher or lower than expected. The city is working to minimize those differences as much as possible.

2. New bill design

You'll also notice a new bill design intended to make your utility charges easier to read and understand.

3. A fresh start for online accounts

One of the biggest changes customers will need to prepare for is setting up their payment information and notification preferences again. Existing online accounts and saved payment information will not transfer to the new system.

Customers who use City autopay will need to reenroll, and those who pay through their bank's bill pay service will need to update their utility account information with their bank.

But don't do anything just yet!

Every customer will receive their first bill from the new system in the mail, including those currently enrolled in paperless billing. That bill will contain the information needed to set up a new online account or update bank bill pay information. We'll share step-by-step instructions when it's time to get started.

A brief interruption: As part of the transition to the new billing system, online, automatic, and credit/debit card payments will be temporarily unavailable November 23 through December 2. During this time, cash and check payments will still be accepted at the Utility Billing counter during regular business hours.

4. Garbage and recycling services are changing, too

There's another significant change coming in December. After many years of the city managing its contract and billing for garbage and recycling services, City Council approved transitioning customer accounts and billing directly to Waste Control as the city's contract approaches expiration.

That means customers will begin receiving a separate bill from Waste Control for garbage and recycling services. Those service charges will no longer appear on City utility bills.

And there's more to come. Over the next two years, customers will see changes to garbage and recycling services, including:

• Rates: A transition to rates regulated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC).
• Garbage collection: Options for different garbage cart sizes.
• Recycling: Every-other-week collection and the eventual phaseout of large, shared recycling containers.

The City and Waste Control are working together to coordinate the transition. Waste Control will provide customers with more information about rates, service changes, timelines, and any steps they need to take.

More information is on the way

We know this is a lot to take in, and we don't expect customers to remember every detail today.

Over the coming weeks and months, we'll continue sharing information about the new billing system, including how to read your new bill, set up an online account, and enroll or reenroll in automatic payments or paperless billing. We're also preparing additional customer assistance to help with the transition.