Deputy Commissioner Vicki Voss outlines Syracuse City Payment Center’s collections, seizure timeline and 700-ticket refund

Deputy Commissioner Vicki Voss told the Syracuse City Council on Thursday that the City Payment Center — the municipal treasury office — processes tax, water, parking and other fees, bills for services such as police overtime and property board‑ups, and pursues delinquent accounts to recover revenue.

Vicki Voss, deputy commissioner, said the office restored the ability for residents to pay in cash after an earlier contractor arrangement had eliminated that option. "City Payment Center also runs the Treasury, is where we collect money," she said, listing tax payments, water payments, parking payments and the new school‑zone fines among the items the office handles.

Why it matters: Council members said collection shortfalls matter to the budget. The Chair noted the city’s budget has decreased year over year and urged continued focus on the "other half of the equation" — money billed but not collected.

Voss outlined operational practices and recent changes intended to boost collections. She said the office added and now enforces late charges more consistently, pursues larger debtors, bills contractual "true‑ups" for subsidized shelter rents and has increased late‑charge income. "We are trying to take advantage of every opportunity to collect money for the city," she said.

On seizing long‑delinquent properties, Matt OJ, commissioner of assessment, said staff are preparing paperwork and "we anticipate to seize on the sixteenth" for a referenced property. Voss described the legal process: Neighborhood and Business Development identifies candidate properties, a 60‑day notice is issued and the formal seizure process can take roughly six to nine months (or longer if owners are hard to reach). A council member clarified that formal city letters begin when a property reaches about 2½ years of tax delinquency.

Voss noted the Payment Center works with Assessment and the law department on complex cases and with the Financial Empowerment Center to help residents on limited incomes arrange payments or budgeting support. The office also fields payment disputes; Voss said staff will consider waiving late charges when taxpayers provide proof of a stopped check and a replacement payment.

School‑zone enforcement and vendor error: Voss said an outside vendor and the Syracuse Police Department share approvals for automated school‑zone tickets. Because of differences in approval criteria, the vendor approved some tickets that should have been blocked — for example, when school was canceled — and "we have 700 tickets to refund," she said. Voss said the lockbox process and vendor approvals are under review.

Access and service details: the Payment Center is open 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday and a secure drop box at City Hall accepts payments 24/7/365. Voss noted residents can use Invoice Cloud for online and recurring payments and said the office will consider extending evening hours once operational impacts are analyzed.

The meeting closed without any formal policy votes on the Payment Center; a council member moved to adjourn and a second was recorded.

What’s next: Commissioners and staff offered to share reports on collection rates and to follow up offline on potential operational changes, including any budget lines tied to Paylock or other vendors.