The city of Middletown’s water billing system is up and running again, according to a news release from the city.
After an August cyberattack took the city’s utility payments offline, residents were left guessing how much they owed on their utility bills. As of Jan. 16, Middletown utility customers will know exactly what they owe. Middletown is also giving residents a grace period for charges on water usage during the outage.
This grace period will extend through Aug. 31, 2026. During the grace period, no late fees will be charged from water usage during the outage period.
Online utility accounts will be updated to reflect all payments made since the cyberattack in August 2025 by Saturday, Jan. 17.
Autopay on residents’ utility accounts has been disabled. It is up to each customer to reactivate autopay if they wish. Should residents reactivate their autopay, the full amount due on their account will be withdrawn from their bank account.
Residents are encouraged to review their statements carefully before re-enabling autopay, the release states.
The first 2026 billing statement will be sent out to 24,000 water customers over the next four or five weeks. The city has already sent out these statements for water customers who have closed their accounts. From now on, monthly usage charges must still be paid by the due date on your bill.
Along with their first statements of the year, Middletown utility customers will receive an informational flyer.
For more detailed information on billing, late fees, shutoff policies and the grace period, customers are asked to visit the city’s website or contact 855-967-0310.
Enquirer reporter Matthew Cupelli contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Middletown’s water billing system restored after cyberattack
Reporting by Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

