Syracuse City Payment Center reviews PayLock booting contract as it shifts more billing into PeopleSoft

Syracuse City Finance Commissioner Mike Cannizzaro and Deputy Commissioner Veronica Voss told a municipal finance briefing that the City Payment Center is increasing automated billing through PeopleSoft and is reviewing its PayLock booting contract after staff said the city currently subsidizes most booting costs.

The expansion of accounts receivable billing into PeopleSoft is aimed at automating more department billings, Cannizzaro said. "The line I would like to highlight is accounts receivable, and I give Vicki a lot of credit for this," Cannizzaro said, adding that the City Payment Center historically performed fewer billings and is shifting additional parking, water and other departmental billings into the PeopleSoft AR module.

That shift, officials said, has coincided with a modest rise in in-person counter payments. Deputy Commissioner Veronica Voss told council members the center has increased the types of payments it accepts and that many constituents prefer paying in person. "We have a number of our constituents who like to pay cash, they like to come into the City Payments Center," Voss said. She said staff asked the vendor for compatibility with the city’s violations workflow so payments could be collected at the center.

Officials also discussed the city’s use of PayLock for booting vehicles. Voss said PayLock provides the boots, equipment and staff and that the company owns the boots, which limits the city’s liability if a boot is removed or discarded. City staff reported the city collects $50 from the registered vehicle owner at the counter and, on average, subsidizes about $124 per boot; the subsidy is calculated using roughly 28% of parking ticket fees in staff estimates. "We are looking into other options for booting, to see, you know, would it be a good idea to make an investment, buy the boots, manage the process ourselves," Voss said. She added the city has interviewed one vendor and is doing further due diligence.

Budget lines discussed in the presentation included a $54,500 operating-supplies-and-expenses line referenced for part of the booting expenses and a cited professional-services figure of $203,000 for PayLock. Cannizzaro and Voss did not present a final procurement decision; they said staff are exploring whether purchasing boots and administering the program in-house would be less expensive, but that doing so could require police or parking enforcement capacity and additional equipment purchases.

Staff also summarized personnel and workload details for the City Payment Center: the center had 20 authorized positions in the 2024–25 budget and staff proposed keeping the head count flat for 2025–26. Cannizzaro and Voss described routine turnover and said CPC often serves as an entry point for city employees who later transfer to other departments.

No formal vote or contract award was taken during the presentation. Officials said next steps are further vendor review and procurement analysis; no timetable for a final decision or contract change was announced.