Municipal Department
City of Mercedes Utilities Department / Utility Billing
Serving Mercedes
Population served
Approximately 17,500 residents served by the City of Mercedes municipal water and wastewater system; operations and maintenance are supported by USW Utility Group under City oversight.
State system code
FIPS 48
Billing frequency
Monthly; the Mercedes utility-rate ordinance defines monthly water and wastewater rates and monthly metered consumption.
Provider briefing
How this utility’s billing works
City of Mercedes Utilities Department / Utility Billing operates as a municipal department serving Mercedes. Customers should use the provider’s current account-specific bill and official customer-service instructions as the final authority for deadlines, balances, and service requests.
The published water-rate framework is described as Fixed monthly base charge plus volumetric metered consumption, with annual schedule adjustments. For residential inside-city service effective 10/1/2026, the 5/8- or 3/4-inch minimum is $27.82 and the published consumption schedule includes $2.33 per thousand gallons through the initial blocks and $2.48 per thousand gallons for 5,002–9,999 gallons, with additional blocks above that.. Bills are generated monthly; the mercedes utility-rate ordinance defines monthly water and wastewater rates and monthly metered consumption., and a typical residential cost reference is Using the 10/1/2026 inside-city residential schedule, the 5/8- or 3/4-inch water minimum is $27.82 and residential wastewater is $35.00 plus $1.38 per thousand gallons. The complete tiered water calculation depends on the ordinance block boundaries; a 5,000–7,000-gallon combined subtotal is therefore approximately $65–$85 before firefighting, refuse, brush, and other charges.. These descriptions are useful planning benchmarks; actual charges can change with meter size, usage, sewer averaging, local taxes, drought stages, or account-specific fees.
Wastewater and sewer calculation
Residential inside-city wastewater is based on monthly metered water consumption, with a $35.00 minimum effective 10/1/2026 and $1.38 per thousand gallons above the minimum. For properties served by private wells but connected to City sewer, the code uses a flat equivalent of the residential base plus the rate for 6,000 gallons; commercial well lots use the equivalent of 10,000 gallons.
Meter and infrastructure notes
The ordinance bases charges on monthly metered consumption, but the current City pages do not identify AMI/AMR equipment, vendor, remote transmission interval, or route-reading dates. USW Utility Group supports operations and maintenance of lift stations, distribution pumps, and water towers under City oversight.
Emergency water support
Report a leak or water emergency
A dedicated this detail was not publicly posted. The City publishes Utility Supervisor and Public Works contacts, including 956-565-3114 for Utilities and 956-565-6147 for Public Works, but the reviewed official pages do not identify a dedicated 24/7 leak hotline. The City publishes frequent water-closure notices through its website.
Official starting point
Choose the right next step
Reading this profile
A practical reference for Mercedes
City of Mercedes Utilities Department / Utility Billing is listed here as a municipal department. The profile separates account actions—such as paying a bill or requesting service—from explanatory material about rates, meters, wastewater, leaks, and delinquency.
Because utility rules can vary by account class, meter size, service address, billing date, and local ordinance, treat the published bill and current provider website as the final authority. Use this profile to locate the correct channel and prepare better questions for customer service.
If your issue is urgent, start with the provider’s emergency number or official payment route rather than waiting for an email response. Keep a written record of calls, confirmation numbers, notice dates, and documents you submit.