How To Read Your Bill
With our new system roll-out, you may have noticed your bill looks a little different. Nearly all of the information that was on your bill previously is still there, but in some cases it may be in a different spot, so below is a summary of the sections of your bill and what kinds of information is in each section.
1) Account Information – This section will contain your basic contact information as well as general billing information, such as the period bill for, total amount due, and when your particular billing due date is
2) Current Charges – Depending on whether you have water and/or electric service you could have one or two sections here. Each section will contain the amount you used as well as the billed amount for each item related to your water or electric service. The Current Charges for water will contain detail regarding each price tier.
3) Other Charges – This will contain the billing detail of all non-metered services such as Sewer, Garbage, Stormwater, and if you are a Georgetown Utility Systems electric customer, the Energy Conservation Fee.
4) Amount Due – Here you will find the Previous Balance of your last bill, the Payments made since your last bill, the Current Charges of your current billing period, and the Total Amount Due by Due Date.
5) Consumption Details & Historical Usage – If you have electric and water service, this section will be found on the reverse side of your bill. Here you will find the detail of your electric and water consumption, such as the Start and End Reads, meter information, and total consumption. Additionally, you will see a graph of your consumption for your metered services.
FAQ – Budget Bill Plan
Unpredictable variations in the weather make it very hard to fit your utility bill into a budget. Utility bills may vary monthly according to your consumption.
To help our customer “even out” the highs and lows of their utility bill payments, the City of Georgetown is offering an optional payment program to our residential customers. We call our program the Budget Payment Plan (BPP).
How does the plan work?
The billing system will calculate an average which will be billed each month for 12 months. At the end of those 12 months there could be a credit or debit amount based upon the actual bill amounts versus what was paid. The difference will be amortized into a new average calculation and that will be the new budget amount for the following 12 months. The new plan does not change the rates that you pay or the amount of your consumption from month to month. It simply allows you to pay less in high usage months by paying more in low usage months.
What is a reserve balance?
The reserve balance is the difference between the actual charges that you incur and the averaged amounts that you pay. Depending on the fluctuations in your billings, it may sometimes be a debit or credit balance.
Will I pay the same amount each month?
Yes, until the 12th month then a “true up” calculation happens when a new average is implemented.
How will I know what I really used?
Your electric and water meters will still be read each month, with the actual consumption printed on the bills, as usual.
How do I know if I am eligible?
In order to qualify for the BPP you must…
- Be a residential customer
- Have no disconnections for nonpayment, insufficient checks or more than 2 late payments in the last 12 months of history.
- Customers may be removed from the program if payments become late.
How do I sign up?
You can request to participate in the Budget Payment Plan through your account in the CSS online portal.
How to Contact Us?
Customer Care (512) 930-3640
Location: 300-1 Industrial Ave., Georgetown, Texas 78626
Lobby Hours: Monday – Friday 8 A.M. – 5 P.M.
Call Center Hours: Monday – Friday 8 A.M. – 5 P.M.
Email: customercare@georgetown.org
Customer Self Service Portal
CSS is the gateway to your utility account. There you can pay and view your bill. Managing your consumption is just a few clicks away. Program participation, rebates and requests are all now available in the portal. In order to set up your online account you will need the following items:
- Access to a valid email address that can be checked
- Customer Utility Account Number
- Driver’s License
Before attempting to create a new log in you will need to have the following information readily available:
- Access to a valid email address that can be checked
- Customer Utility Account Number
- Driver’s License
To Create a New Portal Account
1. Click on Sign up now
2. Enter First name, Last name and choose your password
3. Enter your email address
4. Enter the verification code sent to your email
- This code is only good for a few minutes before expiring. If that happens, you can click on Resend Verification Code
5. Enter your account number which can be found on your welcome letter/bill. Next enter the Driver License listed on the account.
Congratulations! We hope you love the improved functionality in the CSS portal.
Paying Your Bill
Georgetown Utility Systems (GUS) has launched a new online billing portal that provides residents a way to manage usage and payments more effectively. Customers can now log on to our new customer self service portal, by clicking here, to pay their bill, track and compare usage, and receive timely information and updates. By creating an account, users can sign up to receive billing and service notifications and set up auto pay by debit/credit card or bank draft. Customer are ensured peace of mind knowing that their sensitive payment information is protected by the most stringent Payment Card Industry (PCI) requirements.
In order to complete the account sign up process, you will need the following information:
- Account Number – (Account number must be typed how it appears on the bill. If there are dashes, on the bill, you must also type in the dashes when creating the account.)
- Email Address – (You will have to have access in order to receive a verification code, sent to the address you provide)
- Personal Identification Information – example, Drivers License
Future plans for the service include tailored products for water conservation programs, expanded smartphone technology capabilities such as outage notifications, bill and payment alerts, and bill pay options.
More Ways to Pay
Online Payments:
- One-time payments can be made through the new customer portal beginning on 8/6/2018. Click here for access.
- Customers will be issued a new account number that will need to be used to update their online bill payment account. This number can be found on your bill dated after 8/6/2018.
Auto-draft accounts: (Credit/Debit or Bank Routing):
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- If you are a current auto-pay customers – You will need to set up a new auto-pay account via the new portal after August 6, 2018. Click here for access.
24-hour Payment Drop Boxes:
- Available for after-hours, weekends and holiday payments
- Locations:
- 113 E. 8th St. (east side of City Hall)
- 300 Industrial Ave. (Municipal Complex)
- 851 FM 970, Florence, TX (formerly Western District Office)
Regular mail:
- Mail payments to Georgetown Utility Systems, P.O. Box 1430, Georgetown, TX 78627
Customer Care Call Center:
- Call us at (512) 930-3640, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for assistance.
Lobby and Cashiering Center:
- Located at the Georgetown Municipal Complex, 300-Industrial Blvd, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Does your bank send us your utility bill payment? Please take a few minutes to verify the utility account number is the same account number on your bill payment sent from your bank. Not having the correct utility account number may delay or keep your payment from being posted.
How to Read Your Bill
If you would like information on what is on your bill, click here
G.U.A.R.D.
Georgetown Utility Analysis and Reporting Doorway is a customer portal which allows customers to track water and energy usage on a daily basis. This is a great tool to gain an understanding of how much water and energy customers consume, and can be useful to help with conservation and reducing cost of utility bills. Click on this LINK to view our helpful GUARD introduction video that will provide instructions for registering and utilizing this great tool. Click HERE to register.
Utility Payment Scams
Did someone from the City of Georgetown or Georgetown Utility Systems call and demand payment on the phone? Don’t be fooled. It’s a scam.
The scammers typically demand payment to a special toll-free number with a pre-paid credit card. Deceptive technology can create the illusion on caller ID that the call is from the City or the utility.
Georgetown Utility Systems won’t call you and demand payments by phone, and it is strictly against policy for any customer service representative to accept payment in the field. If a bill payment is overdue, there is a three-step notification process:
- First, late notices are mailed to customers with unpaid balances the day after the billing due date.
- Second, an automated phone call is provided to the phone number on the account two weeks after the billing due date.
- Third, a second automated phone call is provided to the phone number on the account three weeks after the billing due date.
If you have questions about a utility bill, call the Georgetown Utility Systems Customer Care Center at (512) 930-3640 or toll free 1-888-474-4904, before providing financial information regarding your utility account. You can also click on the following link to find out the different ways to pay your bill.
Penalty Waiver Application
A customer who is disabled, or who is 60 years of age or older, may request, in writing, a standing waiver of the late penalty, for utility payments made after the due date.
The customer’s disabled status must be verified by an Award Letter from the Social Security Administration. This waiver applies only to the account holder or their spouse.
Utility Customer Confidentiality
On June 18, 2021, Governor Greg Abbott signed HB 872 and declared it effective immediately. What does this mean for City of Georgetown utility customers? Prior to HB 872, if a customer wanted their account information to remain private, the customer would have to fill out a Confidentiality Request form.
With the passage of HB 872, all customer information of municipally-owned utilities is completely private* and may not be shared without customer permission. To learn more about HB 872, visit https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=87R&Bill=HB872
If you would like your customer information to be accessible (not private) to outside entities, please fill out the Request to Disclose form located here.
* Confidentiality under Chapter 182 does not prohibit a government-operated utility from disclosing personal information in a customer’s account record to: (1) an official or employee of the state, a political subdivision of the state, or the United States acting in an official capacity; (2) an employee of a utility acting in connection with the employee’s duties; (3) a consumer reporting agency; (4) a contractor or subcontractor approved by and providing services to the utility, the state, a political subdivision of the state, or the United States; (5) a person for whom the customer has contractually waived confidentiality for personal information; or (6) another entity that provides water, wastewater, sewer, gas, garbage, electricity, or drainage service for compensation.
