Customer Service & Utility Billing

Pafford (formerly Samaritan) bills for services provided as is stated in their contract with the City of Bethany which was approved by the City Council via Resolution No. 1469 on September 19, 2017. 

Per their contract, Pafford shall limit collections to those funds received from all available third-party payers and shall not balance-bill the patient or other responsible party, EXCEPT for deductible(s) and/or co-pay’s.  Pafford will not bill you for any remaining balances, but you will still have to pay any deductibles or co-pays per your insurance. 

No.  If a resident of the City of Bethany requires services but has no insurance, Pafford agrees to discount its total charges equal to the Center for Medicare Services (CMS – Medicare) payment allowable at the time of service, whether the resident is a CSM qualified payer or not.

All questions and hardships need to be addressed with Pafford, as the City of Bethany has no say in Pafford’s billing process.  Pafford billing can be reached at the following number: (800) 451-8036.

A: Utility bills may be paid either online through our portal, or in-person at City Hall. The hours for City Hall are 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. To access the customer portal, please click here.

1.  Auto draft through your checking account, Online credit or debit card (fees apply), payment kiosks (fees apply), Mail, City Hall drive through window, City Hall, customer service counter, night drop at City Hall (checks only).

Yes, all customers are eligible to pay their bills through autopay. To do so, please complete and submit the Autopay for Utility Billing form found here.

Responsibility of Utility Payment

Please note: Payment of utility accounts is the responsibility of the individual or business listed on the account. The due date for your utility payment is printed on the bill. Payments on your account not received by the due date immediately become subject to a late charge and possibly to disconnection. Failure to receive a bill does not relieve you of liability for payment. If you do not receive a bill, contact customer service to determine the status of your account. The due date for your utility payment is printed on the bill. Payments on your account not received by the due date immediately become subject to a late charge and possibly to disconnection. Failure to receive a bill does not relieve you of liability for payment. If you do not receive a bill, contact customer service to determine the status of your account.

Water consumption, billing history, and more can be viewed through your online account portal. The portal may be accessed here.

Special provisions are made for disabled households, and “beside the house carryout” service may be fulfilled for a base monthly rate. In addition to a completing a form at the customer service counter, applicants must also submit documentation from their healthcare provider confirming your disability. To qualify for this service, all persons at a household must be physically incapable of moving their respective cart to the curb.

To start service, please complete and submit a Start Service form found here to the Customer Service Counter at City Hall. The hours for City Hall are 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday.

To stop service we ask that you complete the online form found here. This allows our billing department to address your request as quickly as possible.

To request an additional polycart, please fill out a request form found here. All customers are eligible to have up to three (3) standard polycarts. The first additional cart is $2.50 per month, and a third is $7.50 per month.

Yes, seasonal carts may be requested for a minimum of three (3) months, and customers are allowed to have up to four (4) seasonal carts at a time. Each seasonal cart is $7.50 per month on top of your base monthly rate. The form for a seasonal cart may be found here.

To update your contact information with the City of Bethany, please contact Customer Service. Customer service can be reached via phone at 405-789-2146, between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm, Monday through Friday.

Garage sale permits can be purchased at City Hall with a completed garage sale permit application and a $10 fee. The application form for a garage sale permit may be found here. The hours for City Hall are 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday.

1. Ask customer service for a re-read or take a picture of your meter and send it to customer service
2. Check for a leak
3. See if you qualify to set up payment arrangements
4. See if you qualify for a cost sharing leak adjustment.

Water is billed at 1,000 gallon increments. If you are consistent in water usage, it is possible your bill will be the same for up to several months at a time. For example, if you used 3,200 gallons one month, you will only be billed for 3,000 gallons. Your meter tracks ongoing usage similar to an odometer on your vehicle. So if you average 3,200 gallons each month, after 5 months, your reading will then pick up the additional accumulated1,000 gallons and your billed consumption will be 4,000 gallons for that fifth month.

Please click here to view our rate tables.

Your bill is solely based on the amount of water you use, regardless of the size of your home. Whether you have one bathroom or four, unless the size of your family changes, you will still likely use a bathroom just as often, and you will likely have similar appliances that use water. 

Your water consumption is dependent upon how often you use your water, how well you conserve water (how often and how long are your showers or baths, how often you wash clothes, flush toilets, and dishes, etc.), whether you water your lawn or not, and how efficient your appliances and toilets are. If you want information on how much water a typical household of your size uses and tips on reducing your water consumption, click HERE. 

The City of Bethany offers a cost sharing adjustment plan for leaks up to 30,000 gallons. In order to apply for this option, please contact customer service to obtain a form. This option is only available for repaired leaks and documentation is required. Cost sharing adjustment will be applied to only one month’s bill, while the leak occurred.

The City of Bethany offers a payment plan for up to two months. Please contact customer service to set up a payment arrangement.

The cost sharing adjustment is for leaks up to 30,000 gallons. In order to apply for this option, you must obtain a form from customer service and return it notarized with receipts showing the leak was repaired. The cost sharing adjustment will be applied to only one month’s bill, while the leak occurred. The customer will keep their monthly bill current until the adjustment is made.

Any receipts or invoices that you have showing a leak was repaired during the time period of the winter storm will be accepted. The documentation does not have to be from a plumber. We will accept any documentation showing a repair.

The only assistance the City offers is for leaks that have documented repairs.

You can contact customer service at (405) 789-2146 to receive the forms or print the forms from below and bring to City Hall.
Request for Cost Sharing Adjustment Form

*Payment Arrangement Form (**This form must be completed in the City Hall lobby. Please print and bring a photo ID to City Hall**)

This will not affect sewer averaging. Your sewer rates will remain the same for another year.

The City of Bethany does not pick up storm related brush and limbs for no charge unless the storm event is declared a FEMA disaster and receives City Manager approval.

If you are having trouble paying a utility bill, you can always contact 211 to get connected to help. Simply call 211 to speak to a specialist, text your zip code to 898-211, or go online to chat or browse the  online resource database at heartlineoklahoma.org.

Sometimes due to weather, obstructions, or lack of staffing the meter is unable to be read and the City is unable to get an actual read on every water meter.

The City will true-up your usage the next time your meter is manually read. At the time, the City will calculate volume used since the last actual read. If the estimate was high, you will see a credit on your next bill. If the estimate was low, you will see a higher bill.

1. Consumer used more water:

- Water consumption typically increases drastically during the summer months due to lawn watering, kids being out of school, and filling a pool. An average size 21 ft round pool with a depth of 48 inches can hold 13,500 gallons of water. This can increase your water bill by over $80. Additionally, water irrigation systems can use a lot of water. For instance, each turf zone can use an average of 12 gallons per minute. So, if you use 4 zones for only 30 minutes per day, you will consume 1,440 gallons of water a day. Even if you only water your lawn twice a week, you will consume 11,520 gallons of water at an estimate cost of over $70. Click here to see how daily practices and leaks can impact your water usage.

2. Water leak

Unfortunately, water leaks happen often and can result in a high water bill. Some leaks are hard to detect and the first clue of a leak is typically a high water bill. A toilet leak, depending on the severity, can waste anywhere from 30 gallons a day up to as much as 4,000 gallons a day.