Utility Billing Customer Service

The Public Works Department’s normal business hours are Monday thru Friday 8:00a.m. to 5:00p.m., excluding holidays.

During normal business hours, you may contact our office at 601-824-4579 to speak to a representative or email our office staff at water@brandonms.org.

Due to the call volume of the Public Works Department, we utilize an automated phone system to receive calls in our department.  This system is designed to help our department in determining the volume of phone calls related to specific issues and requests, as well as providing other information to the general public that does not require a live person – such as our address, payment options, etc.

When calling our office, please listen carefully to our automated phone system options and choose the best option to assist you.  You will be transferred to a Public Works phone representative to assist you further.

To verify whether the City of Brandon services utilities to your new address, please contact our office at 601-824-4579 or email us at water@brandonms.org.  Please provide the physical service address for verification.

THE CITY OF BRANDON ONLY SERVES PORTIONS OF THE 39042 AREA.

THE CITY OF BRANDON DOES NOT SERVICE ANY UTILITIES IN THE 39047 AREA.

You may contact 601-824-4579 for any Public Works’ related emergencies after normal business hours.  An on-call Public Works’ employee is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to assist with emergencies.

A new account may be established by completing the Application for City Provided Utility Service.  All new applications for services require a copy of a photo ID and a copy of proof of ownership or rental/lease agreement.  New account information can be submitted in person at our office, by US mail, or by email at water@brandonms.org.

Proof of ownership or rental/lease agreements MUST show the physical address for the new services, contract effective date, and ownership/leasee name(s).  This information is required to ensure that the proper address and dates are provided for account set up.

New accounts with WATER services through the City of Brandon require a $100.00 deposit per meter.  The meter deposit(s) MUST be paid at the time of application.  Meter deposits are not required for sewer only or garbage only service accounts.

No.  It is not required to come into the office to apply for new services.  New services can be established by submitting the information as requested in the previous question in person at our office, by US mail, or by email at water@brandonms.org.

Please note that meter deposits can only be paid in the office or through US Mail.  Meter deposits CANNOT be paid online at this time.

No.  Meter deposits are due at the time of application for services.

Disconnection of services MUST be made in writing by completing a Disconnection of City Provided Utility Service form or by email submittal to water@brandonms.org.  Disconnection of services can be submitted in person at our office, by email at water@brandonms.org, or by US mail.

Requests for disconnections of services will not be accepted by phone.  All disconnections of services MUST be made in writing.

No.  Services cannot be transferred from one address to another or from one person to another.

Please complete a Disconnection of City Provided Utility Service form for the old service address you are moving from and complete an Application for City Provided Utility Service form for the new service address you are moving to.

No.  The customer does not have to be home at the time services are turned on.  However, the customer should make sure that all faucets are turned off if no one will be home.  This ensures that no water is left running while no one is home.

If the Public Works employee turns on services at the meter and the meter shows water running, the staff member will turn the services back off at the meter and leave a door hanger alerting the customer that water is running inside the home.  In this case, the customer can contact the Public Works Department and request water to be turned on after the issue is found or the customer can turn the water on themselves.

Payments for utility services can be submitted to the City of Brandon in our office (cash, check, money order, or credit card), by phone (automated system), online at www.brandonms.org, by monthly bank draft, or by US mail.  A drop box is also available outside our office for after-hour payment drop offs.

Please do NOT mail cash or put cash in the drop box.

Mailing address:  P. O. Box 1539, Brandon, MS 39043

Yes.  Visit the home page of the City of Brandon website – www.brandonms.org.  Click on the “Utility Bill Pay Online” icon in the middle of the page.

You can pay as a guest or create an online account to make payments and view your billing history.  A service charge will apply for each payment made through the online system.

Please make sure that you receive a confirmation number at the end of your transaction.  This will ensure that the payment processed.

Payments can be made by phone by calling 1-888-626-8998.  A service charge will apply for each payment made through the automated phone system.

Please make sure that you receive a confirmation number at the end of your transaction.  This will ensure that the payment processed.

Yes. Automatic bank draft is available by completing a Bank Draft Information form and submitting it to the Public Works Department in person at our office, by email at water@brandonms.org, or by US Mail.  Please provide a copy of a voided check or your bank account information for verification purposes upon submittal of the form.

Please note that bank drafts are generated on the 20^th of each month.  You will receive a monthly bill to let you know the amount to be drafted.

Bills are generated monthly based on the services provided for the billing cycle dates shown on the bills.  Each water and sewer customer is billed monthly based on monthly meter readings.  Each water and sewer customer is also billed a monthly base rate in addition to the usage based on the monthly meter readings.

Meters are read in per gallon increments and billed accordingly.  Meter reading dates, readings, and usage can be found on the front your bill.

The City of Brandon uses Sensus water meters consisting of AMI technology to read the meters.  This technology allows the Public Works Department to read meters electronically from the office at any time and review water usage history from each meter.

There are 28-31 days in a billing cycle depending on how the dates fall within a billing cycle month.

Meters are read on the 15^th of each month unless noted otherwise on the bill.

The City of Brandon utility bills are generated monthly around the 10^th of each month.

Bills are due on the 28^th of each month unless noted otherwise on the bill.

Any account balance not paid by 11:59p.m. of the due date is subject to a late charge and disconnection of services.  The late fee penalty for balances not paid by the due date is the greater of $5.00 or 10% of the balance owed on the account.  The fee for disconnection of services due to non-payment is $42.80.

The base charge is a monthly base fee that covers the funding of the Water & Sewer Debt Services budget and Water Administration budget, including billing operations & maintenance and operations of the AMI meter system.

No.  The City of Brandon does NOT estimate billing usage.  Billing usage is based off monthly meter readings for each customer.

Adjustments are offered for homeowner leaks that meet the requirements of the City of Brandon Adjustment Policy.  A leak must be repaired and then an Application for Adjustment can be filled out and submitted to the Public Works Department.  The adjustment application must include the type of leak, repair details, repair dates, and proof of repair.

An Application for Adjustment can be submitted in our office, by email at water@brandonms.org, or by US mail.

The review process for adjustments can take 2-4 months.  All adjustments are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and will be approved or denied based upon the information provided and account usage information.  Only one homeowner leak adjustment is allowed per account per 12-month period.

Sewer charges can be adjusted for pool fills that meet the requirements of the City of Brandon Adjustment Policy.  After filling your pool, an Application for Adjustment can be filled out and submitted to the Public Works Department.  The adjustment application must include the date the pool was filled and the volume of water used.  Example: 34,000 gallons.

Sewer charges only are adjusted for pool fills.  The customer is responsible for any water charges related to filling a pool.  Only one pool fill adjustment is allowed per calendar year.

Billing discrepancies can be handled by contacting the Public Works Administrative staff by phone at 601-824-4579 or by email at water@brandonms.org.  Please include the name on the account, the service address, a description of the issue or concerns, and a good phone number and/or email.

Please allow 2-5 business days for our staff to research your issue.  This time allows our staff to research your billing history and meter readings (if applicable).

Effective with the June 2022 billing cycle, all rates are calculated at a per 1 gallon rate.

• WATER – metered water usage per 1 gallon unit of measurement
• SEWER – local sewer charge based on metered water usage
• WEST RANKIN – sewer treatment charge based on metered water usage – paid to West Rankin Utility Authority for sewer treatment costs and debt services related to the sewer treatment facility
• GARBAGE – monthly sanitation charge. Includes residential solid waste pickup through West Rankin Utility Authority contract & sanitation fund expenditures
• BASE CHARGE – monthly base fee for funding of Water & Sewer Debt Services budget and Water Administration budget, including billing operations & maintenance and operations of the AMI meter system

The majority of high utility bills are due to increased usage caused by a leak on the customer side of the meter.  Any household device that uses water can cause increased usage if not working properly.   This includes, but is not limited to, leaking pipes, running toilets, water heaters, ice makers, and faucets.

Water leaks can produce higher than normal utility bill consumption sometimes without your knowledge.  Some leaks are minor, sporadic, or hard to find and require some detective work.  Other leaks are more obvious.

HOW TO DETECT A LEAK:

Your water meter is the most valuable tool in detecting leaks.

The Public Works Administrative staff is able to pull a history of your meter to show if there has been any unusual usage over a period of time.

You can also check the meter yourself to determine if water is flowing through the meter that should not be.  Start by making sure all water fixtures in your home are turned off and no water is being knowingly used.  Open the lid of the water meter box.  The meter box may be full of water – this is normal as meter boxes can hold ground water.  If water is in the meter box, you can use a pump to remove the water from the box or bail the water out with a small bucket or cup.

Flip the lid on the top of your meter to expose the glass screen.  If the screen does not show any numbers or is blank, it is in sleep mode (just like a cell phone).  Gently tap the screen with your finger or rub your finger across the screen.  The screen should “wake up”.

The digits on the Sensus meter should not change at all if all water is off in the home and there are no leaks.  Watch the digits on your meter for several minutes.  If ANY digits change, including the digits to the right of the decimal (these are the tenth and hundredth places) and you are sure that all fixtures are off in your home, then you have a leak somewhere.

CHECK FOR TOILET LEAKS

Toilet leaks are one of the most common sources of homeowner leaks.  A leaking or running toilet can waste hundreds of gallons of water a day undetected and should be repaired immediately.  Commonly, toilets that are in unused or seldomly used guest or spare baths are found to be an issue as they are not on a homeowner’s general radar.

Try the following procedures to help determine if your toilet is leaking or running:

• Wait 5-10 minutes after the last flush.
• Remove the tank cover on the toilet. Is the water level in the tank too high and spilling into the overflow tube? If it is, you have a leak.
• Also, while the tank cover is off, you can put food coloring, contents of a Koolaid pack, or a leak detector tablet in the toilet tank. DO NOT FLUSH THE TOILET.  Wait at least 30 minutes.  If water from the coloring aid appears in the toilet bowl, you have a leak.
• If you hear your toilet making a running water sound or cutting on and off, this also means you have a leak. This is an indication that the valve in the back of the tank is not closing completely, and the toilet is cycling water.

CHECK FOR SERVICE LINE LEAKS

Water leaks can develop in a home or building water service lines. Although such leaks can be difficult to detect, there are some things to look for which may indicate that you have a leak in your service lines.  You should be continuously observant for:

• Wet spots in your yard between the meter base and your home or building or in other areas of your yard where water lines might be in close proximity.
• The sound of running water or a hissing sound when water is not being intentionally used.
• Water leaking into your basement, crawl space, or any other area inside your home or building where there may be water service lines.
• A noticeable loss in water pressure or flow throughout your home.
• Water bills showing progressively higher water consumption that cannot be explained otherwise.

You can validate your meter’s accuracy with the following:

• Determine that you do not have any homeowner leaks or have not recently used water for filling a pool or other recreational reasons.
• Contact the Public Works Administrative staff and request that they check your readings in the system. If your readings are not correct or out of line, the office staff will be able to tell based on the information in the metering system.
• Compare the meter reading on your bill to the actual reading on your meter. The reading on your meter (all numbers to the left of decimal) should be in line with the reading on your bill.

The City of Brandon water meters are read electronically in our office using AMI radio technology.  Each meter has an electronic MXU device that sends the meter’s information, including readings, to the software system at our office.  Meters are only read manually upon request or to verify meter information.  The City of Brandon does not manually read meters anymore.

The City of Brandon uses Sensus meters and technology, including the IPerl, the Ally, and the Omni models.

iPerl	Ally	Omni

Beginning with the June 2022 billing cycle, the City of Brandon reads and bills usage in 1 gallon increments.

Meters and their boxes are generally located in the front of a property between the structure and the road.  However, this is not always the case.  The City of Brandon has documentation of meter locations for all connections and can assist you in locating your meter upon request.

Meter boxes are generally black, rectangular, plastic boxes that are set in the ground.  The lids enclose the entire top of the box but can be removed to access the meter.

If opening your meter box lid, please be careful to not snatch the wire attached to the lid.  This wire is necessary in transmitting the radio signal for the meter and will not work if damaged.

The City of Brandon water meters are read electronically in our office using AMI radio technology.  Each meter has an electronic MXU device that sends the meter’s information, including readings, to the software system at our office.

The wire that runs between the meter lid and the meter itself is a component of the electronic device that sends the meter’s information.  The meter wiring is necessary for the meter to send signals properly and should be handled with care.

¾”, 1”, & 1 ½” IPerl & Ally Meters have digital screens.

To conserve the meter batteries, the screens can go into sleep mode (just like a cell phone).  If the screen is in sleep mode, gently tap the glass screen or wipe your finger over the screen to wake it up.

The meter reading includes ALL numbers to the left of decimal point. 

The numbers to the right of the decimal point are not used for billing purposes.  However, they do show water usage in smaller increments – tenths and hundredths – which is a good indicator of a slow leak on the customer side if one exists.

2” and larger Omni Meters have a mechanical interface with a dial.

The meter reading includes ALL numbers listed.

The large, red hand on the dial measures the water in per gallon increments.  Each full rotation of the hand equals ten gallons.  As the hand rotates, the numbers accumulate in the number series on the meter face (similar to an odometer in a car).

All City of Brandon Public Works employees should be able to provide a City of Brandon ID badge and should be in a vehicle marked with the City of Brandon logo.

For your safety, an employee should be able to provide City of Brandon identification at any time upon request.  Should you be concerned about someone posing as an employee or an employee refusing to provide identification, please call the Brandon Police Department at 601-825-7225 immediately to report your concerns.