City reports signs of success after utility billing updates

CASPER, Wyo. — The Casper City Council heard an update on utility bill collections since it made amendments to the municipal code in February aimed at keeping more accounts out of collections and minimizing uncollected debts.

The most controversial measure, holding landlords accountable for tenants’ bills, didn’t make the final update, but the changes included notifying landlords of tenant delinquency, offering paperless billing options and requiring deposits for all customers. 

A city memo had noted that in the three years following the COVID pandemic, the amount of uncollected bills going to collections had more than doubled, at about $262,000 a year.

The city now holds double the amount of money in security deposits since residential customers were required to pay them starting in February. Those deposits are used to cover unpaid balances from closed accounts before the remainder, if any, goes off to collections, the memo said.

City Financial Services Director Jill Johnson told the council Tuesday that fewer accounts have gone into collections since the changes, but those may be seasonal trends and more data is needed. Councilor Kyle Gamroth noted that Johnson’s presentation didn’t include previous years as a control for evaluating the data, and Johnson said she would produce that graph for future meetings.

Councilor Lisa Engebretsen said some landlords are not getting the notices about their tenants’ overdue bills. Johnson said to have them call her. 

This year, 98% of bills were collected by day 60 of nonpayment, at which time accounts get closed. Customers have 30 days to pay their bill before incurring a $20 late fee, and service is disconnected at day 45. 

Johnson said the city has had some success after adding the account address to the voice on the robocalls promoting payment. The addition of personal calls to customers before shutoffs also resulted in immediate payment 60% of the time.

Johnson said the city is also looking to be more efficient in shutting off accounts on the deadlines. For residences with multiple customers on one line, the city is testing a new Metron meter, which gives staff the ability to shut one line off without affecting the other customers on the same main line.