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Resident seeks clarity on new city billing system, asks council to address past late fees
Summary
A Portsmouth resident told the council she is concerned about the city's transition to a new billing system and asked for communication about new account numbers and review of past late fees, seeking accommodation for customers affected by historical billing errors.
PORTSMOUTH, Va. — At the June 10 Portsmouth City Council meeting a resident raised concerns about the city's transition to a new billing system and asked for assistance resolving prior late fees that she said were incorrectly charged under the old system.
Sheila Joseph told the council she had been advised the city’s new billing system would be active in June and that her account number would change. Joseph said staff told her the new account numbers would begin with a ‘‘2’’ in front of previous numbers and that she had been instructed to wait for the new bill before making payment so the new account would show an accurate payment history.
Joseph said she remains concerned about the old billing records and late fees that, she said, do not reflect payments she believes she made. She asked the council and staff to ensure the city keeps old billing records available long enough to reconcile and, where appropriate, accommodate customers for late fees wrongfully charged.
During the meeting, City Manager Carter and staff were thanked by speakers for progress on a separate billing or system-related effort, and Carter noted earlier work to get systems functioning. The meeting record shows Joseph asking staff for direct email notice when her new bill posts and asking that the city review prior accounts for erroneous late fees.
Why it matters: Transitioning billing systems can create account-number changes and affect payment history and fees. Residents seeking reconciliations pose an administrative workload for billing staff and may require account-level review and possible adjustments.
What to watch for: Joseph requested direct notification when the new bill is ready and a review of late fees applied under the legacy system; the council did not record a formal directive at the meeting but staff did acknowledge the concerns.
