HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 9841 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 9841
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council February 2, 2016
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*a SUBJECT: CLOSURE OF SOUTHWEST MUNICIPAL COURT SATELLITE
rrn UTILITY BILL PAYMENT LOCATION
In an effort to promote operational efficiencies and to address safety concerns in the Southwest
Municipal Court facility, a decision has been made to cease operations at the Water Department's
Southwest Satellite. The last day of operations is Friday, February 26, 2016.
The Water Department has concentrated efforts during the past several years on expanding payment
options and promoting convenience for its customers, while also seeking cost-effective service
methods. As a result of this focus, two other satellites have closed during the past two years
(Northside in September 2014 and Eastside in September 2015). As documented in the graphic
below, activity at the remaining satellite facility, located within the Southwest Municipal Court
represents 0.80 percent of utility bill payments transactions. Although 16 percent of utility payments
are still made in person, the Utility has seen a move away from the use of staffed payment collection
centers in favor of electronic payment methods, which total 65 percent of transactions, and the
convenience offered by our third-party vendor (Fidelity Express), which processed almost 6 percent of
transactions in 2015.
Payment Methods 2015 Actual
0.8% 5.6%
3.2%
6.5% 18.8%
■ LOCKBOX (Check)
ELECTRONIC PAYMENT*
ANNEX CASHIERS
■ EASTSIDE SATELLITE
SOUTHWEST SATELLITE
FIDELITY EXPRESS
65.1%
*Electronic payment methods include bank draft, EFT,H20nline, and IVR phone
The Water Department's partnership with Fidelity Express provides payment processing services to
cash-paying customers locally in 277 existing retail sites, which include neighborhood grocery and
convenience stores. Fidelity Express provides a convenient payment option for customers while
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 9841
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council February 2, 2016
r� Page 2 of 2
�i
�i7 Y
*a SUBJECT: CLOSURE OF SOUTHWEST MUNICIPAL COURT SATELLITE
rrn UTILITY BILL PAYMENT LOCATION
ensuring proper controls over the collection and processing of these payments. They manage an
agent network of retail locations, maintain a real-time database of payments, reconcile details with
batch totals and create/transmit an electronic file to the Water Department daily for posting to
customer accounts. In addition to the convenience offered by Fidelity Express, utility customers still
have the option of visiting the downtown City Hall Annex location for in-person payment transactions
and assistance with other account services.
Staff associated with the Southwest Satellite location will expand their duties in other critical needs
within Customer Relations that they currently support when not dealing with customers; thereby,
enhancing existing customer service processes in the Billing, Credit & Collections and Delinquent
Account Management sections. Additional staff support in these areas will improve the timeliness
and accuracy of billing for the rapidly growing customer base, address specialized billing situations,
and increase support for customers who elect to conduct business in person at the Annex location.
Staff previously assigned to the satellite location will also work with delinquent account customers to
determine if account extensions or payment plans could prevent the interruption of service. Also,
these team members will be actively engaged in responding to the increased number of inbound
phone calls that will be generated with the introduction of a Predictive Outbound Dialer. The dialer is
the next strategic management step for delinquent accounts enabling automated reminder calls.
In addition to the Utility's business drivers, elimination of utility payment services in the Southwest
Municipal Court facility may allow the City to restrict the open carry of firearms by licensees at the
facility. All non-Court functions will be employee-access only.
In an effort to keep our customer's informed of the change, staff will prepare a press release, provide
notification in the City News and through social media outlets, disseminate information to
neighborhood groups and post relevant signage at the location.
Should you have any additional questions please contact Carman, Water Director, at 817-392-8246.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS