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Utility billing staff outlines plan to move to monthly billing, boost e-billing and keep staffing flat
Summary
Utility Billing presented FY26 operating metrics and a plan to move from biannual to monthly billing, increase electronic billing adoption and absorb costs without new personnel while proposing customer-facing improvements such as a lobby kiosk and extended service hours.
Utility Billing representative Alpha Rodriguez told the Nampa City Council that the department plans to move from biannual statements toward monthly billing, increase electronic billing adoption and keep staffing levels unchanged while shifting hours to serve customers more hours daily.
Rodriguez summarized the unit’s mission to “provide the highest quality customer service by processing bills efficiently, timely, and above all, accurately,” and listed this year’s results: about 75,250 accounts built, more than 142,000 payments processed, over 21,000 phone calls answered and more than 5,000 payment-plan arrangements entered.
The proposal described specific steps to make monthly billing workable: evaluate the cost of monthly billing and options to absorb or offset it, increase electronic (e‑bill) enrollment, place a kiosk in the billing lobby to help customers sign up for AutoPay and eBilling, run a promotion to encourage electronic enrollment, and send staff to vendor conferences (Springbrook) to study implementation details. Rodriguez said the department had extended telephone and lobby hours to 7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Monday–Friday.
Rodriguez told council that only about 12% of the city’s roughly 37,000 customers currently receive e‑bills and that the department reduced delinquent Local Improvement District balances by $83,000 (about 47%) after beginning biannual statements to delinquent accounts. She said the department expects small increases to bank fees and postage, and that postage could rise about 7.4% if the U.S. Postal Service increases rates.
Council members and staff discussed accommodations for customers without internet access. Rodriguez said the administration will consider options and noted the kiosk idea as one way to assist customers who lack home internet. At least one council member said customers could be charged to continue receiving paper bills, but the council did not adopt any policy or vote on fee changes during the presentation.
On next steps, Rodriguez said internal meetings are scheduled to evaluate legal and operational constraints and to design a transition. She also said the department will work with communications staff on outreach and proposed sending employees to Springbrook training to prepare for monthly billing.
