Statement Regarding Recent Utility Billing Issues
The City of Missouri Valley would like to provide an update regarding recent utility billing issues and explain what residents may notice on their current water bill.
On April 27, 2026, the City transitioned our utility billing software to a new cloud-based platform. While this was not a change in software providers, the migration of data into the new system resulted in numerous unforeseen issues. These included missing account information, incorrect meter and radio identification data, and ongoing difficulties obtaining accurate meter readings.
During the May billing cycle, the system’s estimation feature did not function as intended. Unfortunately, this resulted in some customers being billed for more water consumption than they actually used. As these issues continued into June, the City made the decision not to issue June utility bills rather than risk sending additional inaccurate bills.
By the end of July, staff successfully obtained accurate meter readings for approximately 92% of all water meters. Before processing the July billing, staff removed any accounts that appeared questionable so they could be reviewed individually. During that review, we discovered the full extent of the estimation errors from the May billing.
This week, City staff have been reviewing customer accounts one at a time. For each account, we compared the last known accurate meter reading from April with the current meter reading to determine the customer’s actual water usage. We then compared that amount to what had already been billed and applied credits to accounts that had been overbilled. Those credits are reflected on the current utility bills, along with a notation indicating the number of gallons credited.
In addition, we identified a small number of accounts where the meter multiplier was changed incorrectly during the migration. For most residential customers, meter readings are recorded in hundreds of gallons. Some accounts were mistakenly converted to thousands of gallons, significantly overstating water usage. We have corrected the vast majority of these accounts and continue reviewing any remaining discrepancies.
Please remember that the current bill covers approximately May 18 through July 28. Because this billing period spans more than two months, higher usage may be expected even when no billing errors occurred.
At this time, the City is not assessing late payment penalties related to these billing issues.
Some customers may receive an automated email generated by the billing system regarding payment or penalties. Please disregard those notices, as they do not reflect the City’s current approach. We are temporarily suspending penalties while these issues are being resolved.
If your bill creates a financial hardship, the City is willing to work with customers on payment arrangements during this time.
Please contact City Hall to discuss your options and establish a payment plan.
We understand how frustrating and concerning these issues have been. Our staff has spent countless hours reviewing accounts individually to ensure customers are billed as accurately and fairly as possible. While we have worked diligently to identify and correct errors, we recognize that there may still be accounts requiring additional review.
If you have questions about your utility bill or believe something does not appear correct, please contact City Hall.
We will gladly review your account with you and make any additional corrections that are necessary.
We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue working through these software migration issues. Our goal is to restore confidence in the billing process and return to normal operations as quickly as possible. Thank you for your continued patience as we work to provide the accurate service our community deserves.