RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond is shortening the payment cycle for public utility bills from 30 days to 25 days as the city works to address ongoing billing issues and customer service complaints. The Richmond Department of Public Utilities (DPU) announced the change in a city release shared on Wednesday, Oct. 14, as part of its efforts to improve the billing system. PREVIOUS: Richmond utility billing issues continue as city works to improve customer service Customers will still be billed monthly, with the typical billing frequency staying the same, city leaders said. "I’m thankful for the continued march along the path of improvement in utility service delivery,” said Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II in the press release. “This change is a key step in making the customer experience reliable, responsive, and easy to navigate with the needs of Richmonders top of mind.” City officials said they compared their model to other industry practices and emphasized that this change creates a "more effective window for payments to be received and processed by financial institutions before the next bill is generated." The change will also reduce instances in which a new bill is issued while a payment on the previous bill is still being processed. Payment due dates will transition to a 25‑day cycle over multiple billing periods, allowing for DPU customers to gradually adjust to the new timeframe, per the release. In October, the payment window will shift to 27 days for November due dates, with the final transition to the change happening in November for December due dates. Customers should expect to see their specific payment due date on their DPU bill. For more information about DPU billing and payment options, click here. ...read more read less