The Painesville Utilities Billing Office has officially launched a new online customer portal at www.painesville.com/payment.
The new portal allows customers to access their account information, usage history and pay bills online, according to a news release. Accepted payment includes Visa, Mastercard, Discover and electronic checks.
“We’ve been working diligently on this project for the past couple years and we are very pleased to finally launch this to the public,” Utilities Office Manager Cheryl Altizer stated in the release. “Our goal was to give our customers a modern, convenient way to pay their bills, which is online.”
Features of the new customer portal include the ability for customers to view consumption history up to three years, transaction history up to one year, manage account settings like mailing address, paperless billing option and email bill reminders, and conveniently pay their bill online using credit card or eCheck.
“We soft launched the portal on July 1, 2024, so we could work on the kinks or any issues before advertising this new platform to the public,” Altizer stated in the release “In less than a month, we had over 680 users create accounts and pay via the portal. So far, everything is running smoothly which is the best outcome possible.
“This is something our customers have been asking about for a long time and it’s nice to finally be able to provide this option.”
For customers who may need some help with technology, the Utilities Billing Office has a temporary laptop station set up in City Hall where customers can be walked through the set-up process with a Utilities employee. A step-by-step guide is also available on the website. Customers will need their account number and customer number to get started.
The online portal is accessible 24/7 and instantly updates an account when payment is made, meaning no wait time on transactions. Credit cards have a 3.75% service fee (or $2.50 minimum) and eChecks have a $1.95 service fee. These fees are not Painesville City fees and go directly to the credit card companies or banking institution involved, the release stated.
With the new addition of the online portal, Painesville customers now have five different ways to pay their bill: online, via banking AutoPay, by mail or drop box, by phone 24/7 at 1-833-465-4624, or in person at Painesville City Hall.
The Utilities Billing Office is located on the first floor of Painesville City Hall, 7 Richmond St., and is open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those with questions or concerns can contact 440-392-5797 or UB@painesville.com.