Casper moves toward automated phone payments to reduce card‑data risk and improve collections

The Casper City Council heard a staff proposal to move credit‑card and bank‑account phone payments to a secure automated phone system so customers can enter payment details directly rather than providing card numbers to staff by voice.

Accounts Receivable Supervisor Brandy Coyle told council the shift is intended to reduce the security risk of live staff taking card numbers and to free customer‑service staff to spend more time helping residents with billing issues and delinquency prevention. Coyle said staff currently handle about 12,000 phone payment interactions per year and that moving to an automated system would allow the department to increase outreach to customers on the delinquent list in the week before shutoff.

“We currently based off of our average phone calls that we take daily, we touch, over 12,000 payments every year coming in to us on the phone,” Coyle said. She proposed a phased rollout over roughly three months with billing notices, a press release, social media and on‑call staff help to shepherd customers through the change. Coyle also said the city would preserve free payment options: in‑person payments, mailed checks, a drop box, and an automatic bank‑withdrawal (easy pay) option with no fee.

Councilors discussed customer access and special‑needs situations, including whether older or homebound residents could get live assistance. Coyle said staff would be available to help customers use the automated system via a conference‑call process and planned to keep an option on the phone tree that leads to making a payment directly. Councilors also asked about disputed transactions and fraud; Coyle said staff see 5–10 disputed transactions in a typical year and that eliminating phone‑taken card numbers could reduce that risk.

Staff described fees associated with card and e‑check transactions; councilors agreed the benefit of improved security and higher collection rates outweighed the transaction fees and signaled support to proceed. Councilors highlighted a customer‑service benefit: freeing staff time to reach a larger share of the delinquent list prior to shutoff so residents receive notice and assistance rather than an abrupt service interruption.

Ending: Council gave direction for staff to proceed with the automated phone payment option, implement phased communications to customers and retain no‑fee alternatives; staff will return with rollout details as the implementation schedule proceeds.