June 18, 2024

Dear Southport Utilities Customer,

After months of work, the merger of the City of Southport’s Water and Sewer System into Brunswick County Public Utilities is complete and you are now a customer of Brunswick County Public Utilities.  Your account information has been loaded into the County’s utilities system.  An account number, cross-referenced to your City account number, has been created for you by the County.  The transition between the two utilities will occur between June 18th and June 30th.  The completion of this merger brings about immediate changes to how you receive and pay your bill, and manage your utilities account information:

Receiving your Bill

With the exception of Rivermist customers, you will not receive any further Water-Sewer bills from Southport.  The May 26th bill was your last bill from Southport.  Rivermist customers, who receive only sewer service from Southport, will receive one final bill from Southport.  The final Rivermist sewer bill will be generated on June 26th and will be due on July 15th.

The first bill from Brunswick County Public Utilities will be sent around August 1st and will be a six-week bill.  The County is transitioning your account to their billing cycles with one bill covering a six-week period, after which your bill will be issued on a monthly interval.

Paying your Bill

You may continue to pay utility bills issued by the City of Southport using the following City payment options:

  • Bank Draft: one final bank draft for the final Rivermist sewer bill will be made on July 15th, after which no further bank drafts will be made by Southport.  Please note:  bank draft information will not be transferred to Brunswick County.  Any customer who wishes to continue paying by bank draft will need to establish a draft with the County.  Rivermist customers who already have a bank draft established with the County for water service do not need to take any further action.
  • Mail: payments for bills issued by Southport can continue to be mailed, along with the billhead, to the PO Box in Hermitage, PA.  The PO Box will be closed after July 15th and the conclusion of the last Rivermist billing cycle.
  • Online: online payments for bills issued by Southport can continue to be made until July 15th after which the online payment option will be disabled.  You can locate the online payment portal at https://cityofsouthport.merchanttransact.com/Login.
  • In-Person: payments will be accepted at City Hall through July 15th.   No payments will be accepted at City Hall after July 15th.
  • Drop-Boxes: payments can be left in one of the two City utility payment drop-boxes until June 28th, after which the boxes will be removed.

All bills issued by Brunswick County Public Utilities must be paid to the County through their payment options. For questions about your service, billing, or payment options please visit the website below or reach out to Brunswick County Utility Billing anytime during their regular business hours Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Opening, Closing, or Updating Accounts

Effective immediately, all changes to your account information must be completed with Brunswick County, not Southport.  All new water, sewer, and irrigation account applications, account closures, or transfers must be completed with the County, as well as all updates to account information such as mailing address and contact information.  Rivermist customers may continue to make these changes with Southport until June 25th, after which all transactions must be made with the County.

Work Orders

Please continue to call the City of Southport to report water leaks, meter problems, and other service matters that would require a public utilities technician to investigate through June 29th.  After June 29th, all issues must be directed to Brunswick County: brunswickcountync.gov/utilities.

Recycling and Yard Debris

There will be no change to the recycling and yard debris services provided through Southport.  Customers who currently receive these services will continue to receive them and be billed on your Brunswick County water bill. Residents will still need to contact the City of Southport with any questions regarding this service. Brunswick County does not have access to records concerning this city-managed service.

System Development and Tap Fees

Effective immediately, all Tap and System Development fees that are typically collected with a building permit application must be paid to Brunswick County, even if the building permit is issued by Southport.  Builders must pay the fees with the County and bring a receipt for payment to the Southport Permitting Office to be recorded with the permit application.

Neighbors 4 Neighbors Program

Now that Southport no longer operates water or sewer systems, the City’s Neighbors 4 Neighbors utility assistance program has ended.  The credits applied to the bills dated May 26th are the last assistance credits to be applied.

On behalf of the City of Southport, we would like to thank you for being our customer for so many years, and wish you the best moving forward in your new relationship with Brunswick County Public Utilities.  We have enjoyed serving you, and look forward to working with you through this transition period.

The City of Southport Utilities Team

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