Hamilton utility bill-pay system to be temporarily offline for updates
Aug. 16—Hamilton utility customers will not be able to pay a bill between the end of the day on Thursday and Monday morning due to system maintenance and software updates.
City officials say this includes the inability to process bill payments online, by the payment kiosk, over the phone, or at the city building at 345 High St. Customers can still be assisted during regular business hours to assist with urgent utility-related issues.
"The payment portal service interruption is necessary for the Utilities Customer Service Department to complete a database conversion and software update of our customer information system," said Christine Carr, Hamilton's Customer Service superintendent. "Software updates such as this are required every few years to maintain the operational efficiency of our systems."
The update will impact the back-end database, so customers will not experience any changes to how they interact with the city's utility systems. Carr said it's expected this software update "will increase efficiency and enhance reporting capabilities, leading to improved customer service."
No bills are due during this time frame, according to city officials, and utilities department officials say they are making efforts to minimize the impact due to the system outage, including limiting utility invoices due during the outage and temporarily suspending disconnections for non-payment between this past Friday, Aug. 12, and this coming Monday, Aug. 22.
Though no bills should be due during this outage, Carr said no late payment penalties will be applied for the duration of the payment system service interruption.
The inability to make a payment during the system maintenance is the only disruption for customers, she said.
For any questions or concerns, utility customers are to email customerserviceweb@hamilton-oh.gov, or call 513-785-7100 during normal business hours on Friday.
