Q.
Where is the Utility Billing & Collections Office located?
A.
The Utility Billing & Collections office is located at 2505 Market Street, which is adjacent to the City Hall/Community Center Complex.
Q. When is the Utility Billing & Collections office open?
A. The Utility Billing & Collections office is open to the public Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., except for designated holidays, which will be posted prior to the closing.
Q. Do you have a drive-in window?
A. Yes. The drive-in window is located on the east side of the Utility Billing & Collections office and you may access it by driving through the Community Center parking lot. This window is used for express utility billing payments only. You must have your bill with you. If you do not have your bill, need to set up service or discuss your bill you must come inside.
Q. Do you have a night deposit?
A. Yes. The night deposit is located just past the drive-thru window on the east side of the Utility Billing & Collections office and you may access it by driving through the Community Center parking lot. Payments placed in the night deposit are posted the next business day.
Q. Can I pay my bill at any other location?
A. An additional payment location includes the Check Cashing & More booth inside the Food Town store at 1700 Decker Drive.
Q. What is your fax number?
A. The fax number for the Utility Billing and Collection office is (281) 420-6514.
Q. What is the mailing address for payments?
A. CITY OF BAYTOWN
PO BOX 203622
HOUSTON, TX 77216-3622
Q. Why are the payments mailed to a post office box in Houston?
A. Payments bypass the City of Baytown Collections office and go straight to the City’s bank depository, JP Morgan Chase Bank in Houston. The bank processes the payments and automatically deposits the checks into the City’s bank account. They send an electronic file, complete with images of everything received. This file is downloaded into our system and payments are credited to the utility billing accounts. This process reduces human error that occurs when payments are posted manually.
Q. Can I look up my utility billing account on this website?
A. Yes. You can click on eGov Services, from the sidebar at www.baytown.org and then choose Utility Billing from the top ring menu. From that page you can choose to enter your account number, your name, or your street number and street name. You will then be asked for a Pin Number, which will be the last four numbers of your social security number. You will be able to view the amount due, your account history and, by clicking on the water service code, view the consumption history. If you cannot access your account, it may be because the Utility Billing office may not have your social security number. Please call a customer service representative at (281) 420-6515 to update your records.
Q. Do you accept credit cards in the office?
A. Master Card, Visa and Discover credit cards are accepted for the payment of utility bills at the Utility Billing & Collections office located at 2505 Market Street.
Q. Do you accept credit cards by internet or phone?
Master Card, Visa and Discover credit cards are accepted for payments. You can click on Online Payments or Pay Utility, EMS, Municipal Court, Building Services and Misc. Payments Online, from the sidebar and then choose Make Payment under Utilities Payments and Inquiry. For telephone payments in English please call 1-866-528-0686 and in Spanish please call 1-866-530-8855. Payments are posted to the Utility Billing account the next business day. There is a convenience fee to the payer for this service.
Q. Do you offer payments by bank draft?
A. Yes. To receive an application, please contact the Utility Billing office at 281-420-6515 or go to forms.
Q. What do the bills look like?
A. The bill is in the form of a letter, with the bottom part perforated in order to be torn off and returned with the payment in the return envelope provided. The monthly bill has blue borders and the notice of non-payment has red borders.
Q . When do you send out bills?
A. There are two billing cycles in Baytown.
The meters for Cycle 1 are read between the 1st and the 15th day of the month. The bills are processed and mailed between the 20th and the 25th day and are due between the 5th and the 10th day of the next month.
The customers in Cycle 1 should always have a bill by the 30th day of each month.
The meters for Cycle 2 are read between the 16th and the 30th day of each month. The bills are processed and mailed between the 5th and the 10th day of the next month and are due between the 20th and the 25th
day of the month. The customers in Cycle 2 should always have a bill by the 15th day of each month.
Q. Is my payment posted to my account the same day it is received?
A. Payments received in the Collections office before 4 p.m. Monday - Friday are posted to individual accounts the same day they are received. Payments placed in the night drop box are posted to the individual accounts the next business day.
Please mail payments to:
CITY OF BAYTOWN
PO BOX 203622
HOUSTON, TX 77216-3622.
Q. Do you charge a late charge?
A. Yes. The City of Baytown Code of Ordinance states that if an account is not paid by the due date, the customer shall be charged a late charge in the amount of 10% of the water, sewer, garbage and MDUS charges.
To avoid late charges, payment must be received in the Utility Billing and Collection office by 4 p.m. on the due date.
Payments left in the Night Drop after 4 p.m. on the due date are considered late and will have a late fee assessed. Payments made using Official Payments are posted the next business day when funds are received and therefore are considered late.
Q. What do I need to do to start new water service?
A. To set up Utility Service with the City of Baytown, you will need to bring documentation showing you are the owner of the property or a lease/rental agreement if you are renting the property. Personal identification is also required. A deposit and a connection fee must be paid in order to start your service. The City provides next working day service. Go to forms to print an application.
Q. How much is the deposit?
A. The City of Baytown Code of Ordinance states that if you own the property, your deposit is $50.00 per unit. If you are not the owner, your deposit is $125.00 per unit. Business/commercial deposits are calculated based on comparable business use applied to current rates for water, sewer, and refuse and are determined by the Utility Billing Manager. Minimum business deposits are $125.00 for businesses with low water usage. There is also a $10.00 connection fee per meter.
Q. When do I get my deposit back?
A. Customer deposits are held, while the customer's account is active. When the account is closed, the deposit is applied toward payment of the final billing. Any credit balance is refunded to the customer by check from the Accounting Division of the Finance Department. In the case of the deposit not sufficient to pay the full amount, a final bill will be mailed to the customer.
Q . Do you pay interest on deposits? What happens to the interest?
A. Currently, the City does not pay interest on deposits. The interest drawn by the City on customer deposits is returned into the operating budget of the water/sewer fund to help in providing the lowest possible water and sewer rates.
Q . How can I have a past due amount on my bill when I paid last month?
A. This question is most commonly asked when a payment was made after the next months bill was calculated and sent in the mail. The proper response cannot be given until a customer service representative looks at the customer's account.
Q. What determines the amount on my utility water bill?
A. This is determined by water usage recorded on your individual water meter, which is read monthly. The numbers of occupants of the home, the size of the home or the size of the lawn are some of the possible factors that may or may not apply. The meter tells us exact usage without guesswork.
Q. How do you figure the sewer charge?
A. Residential sewer charges are based on the customer's monthly water consumption with a cap of 12,000 gallons per month. Commercial sewer charges are based on the customer’s monthly water consumption with no cap.
Q. What is the MDUS fee on my bill?
A. The MDUS fee stands for Municipal Drainage Utility System. Please contact the Health Departments Storm Water Division at (281) 420-5384 for more information.
Q. Why is my bill so high?
A. A leak in the customer's service can cause higher usage. Seasonal increases due to increased usage, such as lawn watering, children's wading pools, additional laundry, and washing automobiles.
You may request that your meter be read to make sure the reading was correct.
Q. Is my water meter read each month?
A. Yes. Your water meter is read electronically, by radio frequency, each month. The City installed an Automated Meter Reading (AMR) system, which allows readings to be transmitted through a Meter Interface Unit (MIU) installed in the meter box lid. The transmission is received and stored by a special “drive-by” computer located in the Meter Technician’s vehicle.
Q . How is the meter read?
A. Readings are obtained electronically with a special “drive-by” computer, which picks up the readings emitted by radio frequency through a Meter Interface Unit (MIU). Most meters used by the city have odometer type readouts. Customers are billed in thousands of gallons so not all dials are used in calculating the bill. The last two digits on the right are dropped when entering the reading for billing, i.e. 6 4 7 4 1 3 is read as 6474. The previous reading is subtracted from the current reading to calculate the amount of water used between readings.
Q. How can they read my meter when it's full of water?
A. With the implementation of Automated Meter Reading (AMR), readings can be obtained even if the meter box is full of water. The ProRead Registers are sealed and transmit through a Meter Interface Unit (MIU) located in the meter box lid.
Q. How can they read my meter when the grass has grown over it?
A. Readings are obtained electronically with a special “drive-by” computer, which picks up the readings emitted by radio frequency through a Meter Interface Unit (MIU). Grass does not prevent the transmission of the signal.
Q. Is there a charge for transfer of service?
A. Yes. There is a $10.00 service charge to transfer service and the bill must be paid to date.
Q . Why is my water cut off?
A. This question is most commonly asked when service has been cut off for non-payment; however the proper response cannot be given until a customer service representative looks at the customer's account.
Q. Do you send a notice before water is disconnected for non-payment?
A. Yes. The Utility Billing office sends a Notice of Non-Payment in the form of a letter once the account is past due and at least eight days prior to the proposed termination date. The letter states the date by which payment must be made to avoid service interruption.
Q. What will I need to pay if my water is disconnected for non-payment?
A. If a customer is on the delinquent disconnect list, the meter technician will disconnect the water and the City will assess a $25.00 fee. If the delinquent amount of the bill is paid in the Utility Billing and Collection office before 4 p.m., a work order will be issued to have the water reconnected the same day.
Q. What if I cannot pay my bill? Is there a place in Baytown that will provide assistance?
A. Please contact one of the following offices. Either office may be able to suggest others, as needed.
Baytown Resource & Assistance Center at (281) 424-5752
Harris County Social Services at (281) 422-8564
Q. Where does our water come from?
A. The water used for the City of Baytown comes from the Baytown Area Water Authority (BAWA), a surface water treatment facility. BAWA gets their raw water from the City of Houston.
Q. Is the water tested?
A. Absolutely. BAWA tests for quality control 24 hours a day. They have 94 sampling points, per month, throughout the City of Baytown. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ formerly TNRCC) also conducts tests periodically. BAWA was the fourth plant out of over 500 treatment plants in Texas to receive the Texas Optimization Program (TOP) status. BAWA goes above and beyond the minimum limits set by TCEQ. Please visit the 2006 Drinking Water Quality Report from the overview page under Water, Sewer & Garbage on Resident Services.
Q. Who provides the electric service?
A. Due to deregulation, the Retail Energy Provider (REP) is selected by the customer. They can select from a list at www.powertochoose.com.
Q. Who provides the gas service?
A. Please contact CenterPoint Energy Entex at (713) 659-2111. They do not have an office in Baytown.
Please contact the Public Works Department at (281) 420-5300 to report a water leak, brown water, sewer problems, or to inquire if water is off in your area. They are also the contact for any questions regarding garbage pick-up, heavy brush pick-up or the junk drop-off.
Please contact the Engineering Department at (281) 420-6545 for new or replacement water or sewer taps.
Please contact Building Services at (281) 420-6537 regarding permit information.