Darmstadt approves utility autopay after clerk reports CenterPoint billing errors

The Darmstadt Town Council voted Oct. 15 to buy an autopay add-on from Keystone for the town's utility billing software after Clerk-Treasurer Mallory Lowe described repeated billing errors by CenterPoint.

Mallory Lowe told the council the meeting would formally adopt the budget but also raised operational issues with utility billing. Lowe said she discovered that CenterPoint had misentered a service address for one of the town's pump stations into its system, listing it as "399 W BNH" rather than the correct routing; after hours of phone calls and emails she said CenterPoint confirmed it corrected the error. Lowe also told the council the sewer department's budget is separate from town funds and funded entirely by sewer payments.

Lowe said she has been working with Keystone to set up an autopay option for residents and that Keystone quoted a one-time setup fee of $2,390. She noted the integration will require additional work and training with town procedures and the treasury at Old National Bank, and that it will add monthly workload to the clerk-treasurer's office. Cecil Poag moved and Crystal Kahre seconded a motion to purchase the Keystone autopay add-on; the council approved the purchase by a 4-0 voice vote.

The minutes record no further public discussion or dissent on the matter. The clerk will coordinate final integration steps with Keystone and the bank and report back to the council when the autopay option is active.