Welcome to Montgomery County Municipal Utility District No. 18
Through Montgomery County MUD 18’s website you can easily find links to the following services.
Fall Newsletter- 2026
MUD 18 Newsletter
October – December 2026
2026 Water and Sewer Rate Increase
As of September 1, 2026, our sewer rate increased by $2, going from $50 to $52 per month. Please remember that this fee also includes trash and recycling collection. Our base water rate of $15 remains the same, but the first tier above that increased $0.25 per 1,000 gallons from $1.50 to $1.75 per 1,000 gallons. All tiers above the first will remain the same.
As an example, under the new rate schedule if you used 4,000 gallons your cost would go from $65/month to $67/month. Usage of up to 10,000 gallons per month would go from $74 to $77.50/month, a $3.50 increase or 4.7%. For the year ending August 2026, the CPI for water, sewer and trash collection has gone up 4.8%. With the increased costs of natural gas and electricity, as well as other supplies and labor, the Board has found it necessary to increase rates to cover expenses. Even with the rate increase, however, compared to surrounding districts our rates and taxes are among the lowest in the area. We will continue to provide the quality of water and uninterrupted service that Bentwater has come to rely on.
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NEW RATES Montgomery County MUD 18 |
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2026 Tax Rate Reduction
The new MUD tax rate for 2026 is $0.16 per $100 of taxable valuation. This is a $0.01 decrease from the previous year. The 2026 average home taxable valuation in our district is $747,682, which is a 6.5% increase from last year’s average of $701,987. In 2025, the average tax bill was $1,193, while this year it will be approximately $1,196. Of the District’s $0.16 tax rate, $0.05 is levied for debt service and $0.11 is levied for maintenance and operations. The District’s currently outstanding bonds are scheduled to be paid off in approximately five years. Please note that this is an average, meaning some bills will be higher and some bills will be lower. Your actual District tax bill is based on the taxable value of your property as determined by the Montgomery Central Appraisal District.
It is the intention of the Board to collect only what is needed to meet its debt obligations and fund the District’s anticipated operating, maintenance, repair and capital needs. The Board’s five-year plan includes major capital expenditures to maintain and improve the District’s water wells, water and wastewater treatment facilities, and related infrastructure.
Chlorinator Issue in September
In early September there was an issue with the chlorinator at one of Bentwater’s two older Jasper wells. While one well was down for repairs, the chlorinator continued to run as though both wells were in service, which resulted in extra chlorine being pumped into the storage tank. Once the odor of chlorine was detected, Hays Utilities (the District’s operations and maintenance company) began flushing the system to remove the over-chlorinated water. Hays explained the situation in an email sent to customers who had signed up to receive emergency alerts. TCEQ was notified of the event and tested the water, determining it was within standards and was safe to use.
Needless to say, it took a few days of residents running their water to flush out the excess chlorine. To prevent a situation like this from happening again, the older models of chlorinators at our two Jasper wells have been replaced with updated units like those at our newer Catahoula wells.
This situation is a reminder of why it is important to be signed up for emergency alerts through the MUD website (https://www.mcmud18.com/). We only use this information for emergencies and do not provide it to anyone else.
Your MUD Board:
Susan McFarland – President
David Parkhill – Vice President
John Crystal – Treasurer
Rex Cambern – Secretary
Terry Gent – Assistant Secretary
Winter Newsletter- 2026
MUD 18 Newsletter
January – March 2026
WINTER REMINDER
Please make sure your sprinkler system’s backflow preventer is properly insulated to prevent freezing. If there is a freeze warning, turn off the water to your irrigation system and to the backflow preventer. Drain the upper part by opening the two screw valves to let the water out. This 10-minute prevention will save you hundreds in repair costs.
SYSTEM UPDATES
The District completed several important maintenance projects this past year:
- At the sewage treatment plant and Water Plant 1, the last two original diesel generators were replaced with natural gas generators. Our whole system is now backed up with natural gas. During power outages, our water and sewer systems will operate on backup power to provide continuous service.
- New air blowers and piping were added to the sewage treatment plant that are quieter and more efficient. The old system had underground piping that was severely corroded and was no longer working properly.
- The one-million-gallon storage tank at Water Plant 1 was refurbished and repainted inside and out to bring it back to like-new condition.
- A drainage issue at Shields Lane and Bentwater Drive was corrected so that water ponding is significantly reduced when there is heavy rain.
Design is underway for one major new project to be completed in 2026:
There are six areas of Bentwater comprising 102 homes that are currently served by a “dead-end” water feed. This year the District will be adding additional water mains to make these homes part of the looped water system. Once this is completed, if there is a broken water main or a valve that needs repair at those locations, homes will not be as vulnerable to shut-offs during the repairs. This looping will also eliminate the need for periodic flushing of these dead-end mains.
SIGN UP FOR ONLINE E-STATEMENTS AND BILL PAY
Signing up is easy! There are two ways to do this – online or by calling First Billing. To sign up, follow these steps:
- You will need your account number from a recent statement.
- Go to https://haysnorth.firstbilling.com to the First Billing site, or call (855) 270-3592.
- Click on “create new account.”
- Your account number will be a 15-digit number in this exact format: 19908-0123456789. Everyone in MUD8 has the same first 5 digits (19908), then a dash, then your old 10-digit account number with no dashes. The statement you receive in May will have the new 15 digit account number.
- Enter your zip code and email information. Create a user name and password, then confirm your password. You will get an email back which you will need to click on to confirm your email.
Sign-in. You can then register for E-Statements, pay a bill, set up auto pay, etc. - We encourage everyone to sign up for E-Statements so you can get your statements anytime from anywhere. This is free. You will get an email each month when your statement is available. You can also review all of the other bill pay (auto bill pay) options.
- If you are currently having Hays debit your bank account automatically, this will not change. You do not need to sign up for a new bill pay method. But we would still appreciate it if you would sign up for E-Statements.
If you have any other questions about service or billing, please contact the district operator:
Hays Utility North Corporation
Billing address: P.O. Box 1170, Montgomery, Texas 77356
Physical address: 375 Lake Meadows Dr, Montgomery, Texas 77316
Phone: (936) 588-1166
Our monthly board meetings, starting at 9:30AM, are held on the third Tuesday of each month at the country club are open to the public and residents are welcome to attend.
Our web site: https://www.mcmud18.com/ Please bookmark for future reference.
Your MUD Board:
Susan McFarland, President
David Parkhill, Vice President
John Crystal, Treasurer
Rex Cambern, Secretary
Terry Gent, Assistant Secretary
Fall Newsletter- 2025
MUD 18 Newsletter October – December 2025
2025 Tax Rate Reduction
The new MUD tax for 2025 will be $0.17 per $100 of valuation. This is a $0.03 (15%) drop from the previous year.
The 2025 average home valuation in our district is $701,987 a 7.8% rise from last year’s average valuation of $658,137. In 2024, the average tax bill was $1,316, while this year it will be $1,193. Even if the taxable value of your home increased, you should see a drop in the amount of tax owed to MUD 18. Please note that this is an average, meaning some bills will be higher and some bills will be lower. Everything will be based on your property’s assessed value as determined by the County Appraisal District.
It is the intention of the Board to collect only what is needed to meet its debt obligations and planned capital expenditures in the five-year plan. These are for major capital expenditures to effectively improve and maintain our water wells, water and wastewater treatment facilities, and other related infrastructure.
2025 Water and Sewer Rate Increase
Our last sewer price increase was in 2019. Since then, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has increased 29%. Starting October 1, 2025, our sewer rate will increase by 11%, going from $45 to $50 per month. Please remember that this fee also includes trash collection.
Our base water rate of $15 will remain the same, but each tier above that will increase $0.50 per 1,000 gallons. For example, under the new rate schedule if you used 4,000 gallons the cost would go from $60/month to $65/month. Usage of up to 10,000 gallons per month would go from $66 to $74/month, an $8 increase. Usage of up to 15,000 gallons/month would increase from $73.50/month to $84.00/month, a $10.50 increase.
Usage of up to 20,000 gallons/month would go from $86/month to $99/month, a $13 increase.
With the increased costs of natural gas and electricity, as well as other supplies and labor, the Board has found it necessary to increase rates to cover expenses. Even with the rate increase, compared to surrounding districts our rates and taxes are amongst the lowest in the area. We will continue to provide the quality of water and uninterrupted service that Bentwater has come to rely on.
Board meetings are open to the public and held the third Tuesday of the month at the Country Club at 9:30AM.
Your MUD Board:
Susan McFarland, President
David Parkhill, Vice President
John Crystal, Treasurer
Rex Cambern, Secretary
Terry Gent, Assistant Secretary
No Current Updates
There are currently no District updates. Check back for the latest news of what’s going on within the District.