Litchfield to Launch Online Water Billing Portal on June 22

Litchfield City Council Meeting | June 18, 2026

LITCHFIELD — The City of Litchfield will launch a new online water billing portal on June 22, Mayor Jake Fleming announced during the City Council’s Thursday, June 18, 2026, meeting, in a move officials described as modernizing how residents pay and track their utility bills.

Article Summary: The City of Litchfield is rolling out a new online water billing system called Community Connect, set to go live June 22. Some customers who pay by credit card will need to create new accounts and re-enter their payment information, though paper bills remain available for anyone who wants them.

Water Billing Portal Key Points:

• The new “Community Connect” portal will let customers pay their monthly bill, set up automatic payments, view their water usage and billing history, sign up for alerts, and switch to electronic billing.
• Customers who pay through the Payment Service Network (PSN) must log in to the new portal and re-enter their payment information by June 22; customers with automatic payments through a local bank are unaffected.
• Paper bills will continue for anyone who prefers them, but bills will now arrive in envelopes rather than as postcards starting with the next billing cycle.
• The city said it will waive late fees “within reason” during the transition.

Mayor Jake Fleming walked the council and public through the change during the city report portion of the meeting, describing it as a more modern system that will give customers faster access to their bills. Residents will be able to pay their monthly utility bill or enroll in automatic payments online, review their water usage and billing history, receive alerts when a new bill is issued, and opt into electronic bills, the Fleming said.

Officials stressed that the switch is optional for residents who like receiving paper bills. “If you want a paper bill, do not worry. We will mail it to you,” the Fleming said, adding that he personally receives a paper bill but plans to move his own account online to save paper and reduce postage costs for the city. As part of the change, the city is also switching its mailers from postcards to envelopes beginning with the next billing cycle, which officials said should make bills less likely to be lost in the mail.

Who Needs to Act

The most significant action item falls on customers enrolled in PSN — those who pay by credit card or receive a monthly email from “Payment Service Network,” which Fleming said appears on statements as “PSN.” Those customers will need to log in to the new portal and re-enter their payment information, and they are the only group required to create a new account, the Fleming said. He set June 22 as the date by which that step should be completed and said the city would post step-by-step instructions for the public.

Customers who already have automatic payments set up through a local bank do not need to take any action, Fleming said; those arrangements will remain in place. Residents unsure of how they currently pay were urged to call City Hall. Each customer has also received a flyer in the mail explaining the change.

To ease the rollout, Fleming said the water department has been instructed to be patient and to waive late fees within reason as customers adjust. “June 22nd, mark your calendars,” he said. “There’ll be lots more to come for the public.”