MADISON COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — In an anticipated move, Huntsville Utilities (HU) will transfer its meter reading and in-house billing to the Madison County Water Department (MCWD).

The transition is expected to impact around 37,000 homes across the county.

HU had historically provided the services for Madison County under a contract, but the reading of the water meters was contracted out to a third party, Bermex, which began reading them in 2022.

Those services will now fall under MCWD’s in-house systems and personnel, according to officials, with the transition beginning on March 27. Customers should receive their first bill from MCWD starting in early April, depending on their billing cycle.

“This transition will allow MCWD to provide more timely resolutions and more efficient customer service,” said County Engineer Chuck Faulkner. “Some customers’ bills may be slightly lower or slightly higher on the first monthly bill, depending on how the billing cycles are affected.”

“But the transition will not change the rate structure,” he added.

Any of the customers’ existing account information with HU will automatically transfer to MCWD, officials confirmed. A new water account number and bill due date will be seen on their new bill from Madison County.

Customers affected by this transition should have received a notice in the mail about the change last October. MCWD said it will continue to provide updates via email, the County website and its social media pages.