by Nicole Bradford
Pearland’s new portal system for utility bills will require some changes on the part of customers.
The City Council on Feb. 12 approved a new payment processing system to be used with its new utility billing platform, set to go online this year.
Those who pay online or through auto-pay need to create a new account and re-enter payment information when the new system goes online.
“Customers will have to go back in and create a new account on the new portal and they will have to either put their bank draft or credit card information back into the new system,” City Manager Trent Epperson said. “That would occur whether we were changing the payment provider serves or not. The change to the new portal requires that.”
Since credit card information is secure, he said, and can’t be imported or exported between systems.
In Pearland, roughly 16,400 customers use autopay for city utility bills. About 18,200 customers pay online, about 2,200 pay by mail, and about 1,500 pay in person.
Expected to be online this year, the city’s new “customer experience portal” will display hourly and daily water use, notifications of possible leaks, bill pay options, and a “water score” for individuals, comparing it with average users. Users can also set up alerts if they go over a certain number of gallons used per day.
