The Henderson Utility Department issued a statement concerning U.S. Postal delays in the mailing of the January utility bills. In trying to allow more time for mail delivery, the Henderson Utility Department reportedly has been mailing out utility bills at least two days earlier for the past year. Unfortunately, they stated, this is no longer providing sufficient time for the bills to arrive on time.
In recent months, the U.S. Postal sent out changes to U.S. First-Class mail delivery stating that “effective October 1, 2021, the United Postal Service has revised its service standards for certain First-Class Mail items, resulting in a delivery window of up to 5 days.”
The Henderson Utility Department has been taking into account the delay of the January utility bills and has been actively removing penalties to compensate; however, the department explains it is the customers responsibility to inquire about bills prior to due dates. The department further states this is a monthly bill that is due and payable each month based on the prior month’s usage regardless of whether the bill is received in the mail or not, adding, “This is why we upgraded our systems several years ago to offer more ways to obtain your utility bill information.”
Currently, the following are ways to get Henderson Utility billing information and make payments:
1) At the website Hendersontn.org (do not Google, it will take customers to a Doxy website that is not affiliated with the Henderson Utility Department), click on “Pay Utility Bill.” This will direct customers to the billing information site. For first time users, enter your account number with the dashes just as it is written for your account name/number. If you do not have an old bill to retrieve your one-time password from the front, then contact the Henderson Utility Department to reset your password.
The website houses a rolling 12 months of your utility bills. You can pay here or know your account information and pay how you would like.
2) Anytime, customers can call 731-506-1331 and enter the account number. This will give you your current amount due, as well as an option to pay your bill. Again, you can get your account balance and pay any way you prefer.
3) Bank draft is the most efficient way to make sure your utility bill is paid timely. The bank draft form can be found on the Hendersontn.org website, go to departments and utility. The bank draft authorization form is at the top of the page or come by the office and pick one up.
4) In March every year, if you have been at your address at least one year, Budget Billing is offered to Henderson Utility customers. This averages a year’s worth of utility bills and comes up with a flat amount the customer pays over the next 11 months, that way the customer knows how much their bill will be monthly. This is trued up between what has been paid and what was billed in March yearly and a new Budget Billing amount is determined for the next year.
Currently, the department is working on another payment option - E-billing. The Henderson Utility Office will collect customer’s email information, for those who would like to participate, and your utility bill will be emailed to you on the day the billing is generated.
Once testing is complete, the office will send out information on how to register for the E-billing option.
