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Bladen County staff says outsourced billing firm closed; commissioners recommend switching to Salem 1
Summary
County staff reported an outsourced utility-billing vendor abruptly closed, leaving late notices undelivered; staff recommended contracting with Salem 1 after presenting three vendor options and saying in-house billing would cost roughly twice as much.
Bladen County staff told the Board of Commissioners that the county’s outsourced billing company abruptly closed and stopped sending bills, and recommended contracting with Salem 1 to restore billing services.
A county staff member said the vendor “sent us an email on the ninth saying that effective on the ninth that they were closed.” The staff member said the county is evaluating three outside companies — Salem 1, Rev Spring and OSG — and is also considering bringing billing in-house. The staff member said in-house billing would cost about twice as much as outsourcing.
The staff member said the county had mailed about 1,100 late-fee notices in the most recent cycle after customers had not received the vendor’s mailed notices.
Commissioner Gillespie moved to proceed with the recommendation for Salem 1; Commissioner Cameron seconded the motion. The transcript does not include a roll-call tally.
Why it matters: the change affects how and when residents receive utility bills and how late fees are handled. County staff warned that the timing of bond and other payments could be affected if billing remains interrupted.
The board did not set a public timeline for the switch in the portions of the transcript provided. The staff member said the county was also in the process of stopping a payment on an escrow check to the closed vendor.
The board heard additional operational updates later in the meeting, including financial dashboard figures and routine advisory-board appointments.
