ThisWeek CW 10/29/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/10/26/city-eyes-online-payment-options-for-utility-bills.html

Canal Winchester residents will have new options for paying their utility bills under an accounting system being rolled out in the city.

Finance Director Amanda Jackson said at the Oct. 19 Canal Winchester City Council meeting the new system will allow the city to begin accepting online payments once a payment processor is selected and council approves any necessary policies associated with the payments.

One reason for moving to the online payment option is to reduce the number of delinquent bills.

Public Works Director Matt Peoples said delinquent water and sewage bills leading to shut-off notices reached 953 in 2014 and are at 633 through September this year; each one takes an average of 12.5 man-hours to deal with.

“These tags are becoming very onerous, so we’re looking at doing things a little bit different,” Peoples said.

He said many residents claim not to have received the notice tag, which is usually stuck to the front door of their houses, until after they’ve already had their water shut off.

Peoples said that upon receipt of the tag, residents have three days to respond.

“We don’t shut people off when they’re working through an investigation of their bill or working with us like that,” Peoples said. “So we’re working with Law Director Gene Hollins to look at our policies and see if we can instead accomplish this through the billing statements with the new system. That will save us a lot of time and money sending guys around to tag.”

Jackson said many of the shut-off tags go to residents who repeatedly wind up on the list and don’t pay until they see the tag.

“We definitely have some households that will wait until they’re tagged and we know they won’t pay until we say we’re going to disconnect,” she said. “Another benefit of the new system is we can send bills to multiple locations, such as to the landlord as well as the resident so they know what’s going on, too.

“So going along with doing this through the billing, we want to start accepting electronic payments — which is one of the biggest complaints we have heard from residents.”

The city will continue to accept payments made by mail, in person or drop-box as it currently does; but once the online option is available, residents will be able to make payments using either a credit card or an electronic transfer from a checking account.

“There will be a convenience fee associated with this since the banks charge a fee,” Jackson said. “It won’t ever come to us, though. The fee goes straight to the processor.

“Right now, I’m shopping around for the best rates and some of it will depend on how many residents jump on board with using the online payment function.”

Jackson said she hopes to have the online payment option available by the beginning of 2016.