Case Study: Madison Suburban Utility District achieves streamlined, compliant billing and reduced customer payment fees with Civica's Authority Utility

Utility billing made easy for Madison Suburban Utility District

Madison Suburban Utility District (MSUD), Tennessee’s oldest utility district serving roughly 19,000 meter accounts and a population of 70,000, faced a critical upgrade from a 20-year-old, customized MS‑DOS billing system that relied on a single programmer. Their previous software support provider recommended Authority Utility from Civica to replace the legacy system and meet state regulatory and tax requirements while integrating with automated meter-reading tools.

Civica implemented Authority Utility (and the Authority EasyPay EBPP service), beginning implementation in early 2014 and going live in August 2014 with a full transition within two weeks of go‑live. The solution delivered regulatory compliance, AMR integration, expanded reporting, and improved staff productivity — enabling MSUD to “balance the books to the penny.” Authority EasyPay replaced a 3.4% credit‑card fee with a $1.95 flat transaction fee, producing significant savings for the majority of MSUD’s customers, while Civica’s ongoing support smoothed the rollout.

Madison Suburban Utility District

Melissa Skipworth

Office Manager