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Torrenum manager outlines June 1 go-live for new billing portal, details water upgrades and honors municipal fellow
Summary
Manager described a June 1 launch for new utility-billing software with expanded payment options and listed ongoing water-system upgrades, grant-funded projects and a governor's award recognizing the borough's technology integration; the municipal management fellow was honored for securing a job via the pilot program.
Manager Dwight Bottle told council the borough will move to a new utility-billing portal (BSNA) that preserves existing account numbers, runs in parallel with the old system during transition and adds payment methods such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. "The go live will be June 1st," Bottle said, and staff will publish fee schedules and an FAQ before launch.
Bottle said transaction fees for card and some digital payments will be a flat percentage rather than a flat dollar amount; he estimated the amount to be "somewhere around 2%" and said residents may continue to pay by cash or check without a fee. He emphasized the borough has borne substantial card fees in past years and is seeking to fairly distribute convenience costs.
On water infrastructure, Bottle summarized ongoing projects including line replacement bids and specifications, installation of automatic flushers, pump-house upgrades and the use of potassium permanganate to reduce disinfection byproducts (TTHMs). He said engineering, permitting and grant-funded work remain underway and that a state permit is the final step before some projects proceed.
Bottle also announced Torrenum received the governor's award for local government technology innovation, recognizing the borough's integration of AMI technology, GIS mapping, leak detection and outage/notification systems. "We are one of nine municipalities out of over 2,000 in Pennsylvania," he said.
Earlier in the meeting the council and manager recognized municipal management fellow Shane Brown, who summarized lessons from his fellowship and said he had secured a job with West Morland County human services through the pilot program.
What this means: the billing portal change could alter transaction fees for electronic payments, and the water upgrades move the borough closer to regulatory permits and improved treatment processes; staff will communicate fee schedules, payment alternatives and the implementation timeline publicly before June 1.
