Sunrise Utilities: Quality on Tap- Customer Updates for August 2021

 

City of Sunrise Utilities Department July Utility Bills May Be Delayed or Estimated for Some Customer Accounts Some Sunrise Utilities customers will experience a delay in the generation of their next utility bill, due in part to inclement weather preventing the reading of water meters, as well as staffing shortages on the part of the 3rd party meter readers contracted by the City.   As we reported last month, it is typical for the hurricane and rainy weather season to contribute to delayed or estimated meter readings because our 63,000 meters are read manually by technicians who visit every meter in the City. Conditions such as rain, flooding, lightning, high winds, or other inclement weather make it temporarily difficult or impossible for our technicians to safely visit neighborhoods to read meters. In many areas, meter boxes are filled with water for days following a rain event so we must wait for the water to subside in order to obtain a reading. If your bill is delayed, please rest assured that no fees will be imposed for late payments and service will not be disconnected.   When we are unable to read your meter, our system will generate an estimated bill, based upon your historical consumption. We will strive to read your meter next month so if your estimate was high or low this month, it will be corrected the next time your meter is read by a technician. We apologize for this inconvenience; however, this is our standard process.    In order to expedite receiving your utility bill, you can sign up for paperless billing, which will allow your bill to be sent directly to your email. You are also able to enroll in automatic payments from your credit card, debit card, or checking account. If you sign up for both features, your bill will arrive in your email when it is generated and will be automatically paid on the due date. Check out the instructions below and simplify your utility bill payments today! Convenient Options for Your Sunrise Utility Bill Since the introduction of the City of Sunrise's new Utility Bill Payment System, customers have had the opportunity to take advantage of several new features that make accounts even easier to manage than ever before. Here's a summary of a few of the most popular convenience features:   1) Go Paperless with Electronic Bills It’s easy to enroll in one of our most popular options – paperless e-billing – which ensures you’ll receive your bill as soon as it’s prepared. There’s no need to wait for a paper invoice! Here’s how to sign up for paperless e-billing:   Visit sunrisefl.gov/utilitylogin and log in to your utility billing account. Click on your Account Number under Utility Billing Accounts. Click on your Account Number under Account. Click Bill Delivery Preference. Select one of the options: Mail, Email, or Mail and Email. We encourage our customers to select Email, as this is the most eco-friendly option – and ensures the most efficient transmittal of your bill. Click Update to save your preference!   2) Make Recurring Credit Card or Bank Account Payments Automatically You can now make payments automatically each month using your credit or debit card with no transaction fee. This is a core feature of our utility billing system and can be accessed by logging into your account in the Utility Bill Payment System. When processing your credit card payment, and prior to check out, you will see an option to “Enroll in automatic payments.” Once you select this option, your subsequent monthly payments will be charged to your credit or debit card. Records of each payment will be available in the utility billing portal. If you prefer to pay directly from your bank account, you can select the "Manage Bills" option next to your account number in the Utility Bill Payment System and then select the "Automatic EFT Payments" option on the left side menu to add your bank account information. This option is convenient for customers who prefer regular electronic funds transfers directly from a checking account.   3) Make a One-Time Payment Visit our new portal for making one-time bill payments at sunrisefl.gov/onetimepayment. Customers can use an eCheck, bank account, debit card, or credit card to complete this easy process. For help on using this feature, see our step-by-step guide to making a one-time payment.   Have more questions? Visit sunrisefl.gov/paymybill for help. August 12th-17th: Upgrades to Utility Billing and Community Development Systems The City of Sunrise is implementing enhancements to our Utility Billing and Community Development systems that will improve the customer service experience. In order to complete these important upgrades, the following functionality will be unavailable from August 12 through August 17:   Utility Billing Self-service web portal (https://css.sunrisefl.gov), including online access to utility bills One-time payment option Pay-by-phone feature For more information, please view the detailed message we sent to City of Sunrise Utilities customers last week.   Community Development Self-service web portal (www.sunrisefl.gov/openforbusiness), including online access to inspection requests, permit searches and applications, development applications, Code Compliance cases and complaints, business tax receipts, and online payments Inspections for August 13th and August 16th should be requested online before 3:00 p.m. on August 12th. Visit our Community Development webpage to find out how to reach Building, Code Compliance and other divisions directly for assistance while the portal is unavailable.   We'll Restore Customers' Access as Quickly as Possible The Utility Billing and Community Development upgrades may take up to five days to complete, and access is expected to be restored by noon on Tuesday, August 17th. Our staff is committed to making the process as quick and seamless as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to improve the systems and your customer experience.