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Software glitches cause Niles billing woes
By Jordan Cohen
NILES
The failure of the billing software that the city expects to replace in October continues to take its toll with huge deficits in two utility departments and residential bills that have skyrocketed because of longer billing periods.
The monthly revenue report from Auditor Charles Nader reveals that the deficit in the light department ballooned to more than $1 million at the end of August compared with red ink of $206,000 at the end of July. The water department dropped from positive revenues of $19,000 to a deficit of nearly $102,000 for the same period.
“It’s the software,” Nader said. “The billing is not getting out there in time.”
After spending nearly $300,000 on the failed software leased from a Canadian firm, the city is in the process of transitioning to billing software purchased from an Arkansas company last January. Councilman Giovanne Merlo, D-2nd, estimates the platform should be functioning by “the third week of October.”
“If this goes south, we’re going to be looking for someone to be accountable,” warned Robert Marino, council president.
Residential water, sewer and electric bills, which are mailed in one statement to residents, have doubled in the most-recent billing — a problem also attributed to the software’s failure. The statements are supposed to cover a 30-day period, but the latest monthly invoice is for 42 days.
“We’re all getting deluged with calls, [and] my latest bill is more than double what I pay,” said Coucilman Steve Papalas, D-at large. The councilman produced his bill showing the billing period as July on the front of the statement, but a different time period — June 23 to Aug. 4 — on the back.
“It’s a train wreck,” Papalas said.
“We’ve got a multitude of problems because the software is terrible, but we should be able to correct it in the next [30-day] cycle,” said Mayor Ralph Infante.
The mayor said the city had enlisted outside help and that a company contracted to print the bills is running behind schedule. Marino said that some of the undistributed bills date back to May.
“That printing company has got to go,” Papalas said.
Infante conceded that the absence of Thomas Telego, the billing-office manager who is on sick leave, has added to the billing issues. The mayor said Michael Dibble, the city’s information-technology specialist, is working on learning the system.
The recently released performance audit of Niles noted that “the lack of technology has caused ... inefficient operations.” The state auditor has recommended formation of a combined audit and technology committee to “oversee the development of a formal technology plan and its implementation.”