HUNTSVILLE – The Madison County Water Department officially launched its in-house billing, meter reading and customer service today, transitioning from Huntsville Utilities’ original services.

MCWD will read meters, prepare and mail billing statements, and perform all aspects of customer service with in-house systems and personnel.

“This day has been a long time coming; I appreciate the employees who have worked so hard to get us to this point,” said County Engineer Chuck Faulkner. “We are excited to get to work more directly with our water customers.”

The transition will ensure more timely problem resolutions and more efficient customer service, as the customers will now be communicating directly with MCWD, the department said in a news release.

This change will not cause an increase in current rates, the department said.

Huntsville Utilities has historically provided these services for Madison County under contract, and this change establishes water service and billing through one entity instead of two, the news release said.

Customers included in this map will receive their first bill from MCWD in early April, depending on the billing cycle. The first monthly bills may be slightly lower or slightly higher, depending on how many days are in the billing cycle.

MCWD will be offering electronic billing and will accept various forms of payment such as debit or credit card, automatic bank draft, online bill pay, and payment by phone.

Impacted Madison County households were mailed notices about the change last fall. MCWD will continue to provide updates via email, the county website and social media.

For additional information about the transition, visit www.madisoncountywater.org. For additional updates, follow the Madison County Water Department page on Facebook, or visit www.facebook.com/35811water.