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Springfield City Commission reviews new SpryPoint utility billing system
Summary
City staff demonstrated SpryPoint's customer portal and billing modules, citing reduced manual processing, faster payment posting and a roughly $1.2 million implementation cost over the first five years; commissioners asked about public help sessions and approved closing the work session.
The Springfield City Commission heard a work-session demonstration of the city's new SpryPoint utility billing software, which staff said replaced a text-based system used since the 1990s and went live in December.
Brandy Buck, the city's utility revenue and income tax administrator, told the commission the legacy platform required heavy manual processing and limited integration with modern tools. "Of the 9 proposals received, Sprypoint was the lowest and best proposal," Buck said, adding that "the cost for implementation in the first 5 years of service is 1,200,000 doll." Buck said the city's priorities were improving customer self-service, reducing manual processing, and enhancing reporting and integrations.
Buck described SpryPoint's modular design and operational effects: Spry CIS now serves as the core billing and account-management system and eliminated manual file uploads between systems; Spry Mobile replaces paper work orders for field technicians and adds an interactive map for remote completion; and SpryEngage provides a customer portal and online bill-pay. According to Buck, the prior online payment flow could take "3 to 5 business days" to appear on a customer account, while the new system posts payments immediately.
Kevin Walters, the city's senior billing specialist, demonstrated the portal using a test environment that mirrors live features without real customer data. Walters showed how customers can look up accounts using old account numbers, make one-time payments, register to link multiple properties, enroll in autopay and paperless billing, view consumption history and download tables. "If someone doesn't know their new account number, they can look it up using their old account number here," Walters said. He also noted a leak-adjustment form and customizable alerts (text or email) for bills that exceed a set threshold.
A commissioner highlighted postage savings from paperless billing and framed the SpryPoint roll-out as part of a larger post-pandemic technology update that included the city's ERP system, CityWork for community development, and payment platforms. The commissioner thanked staff across departments for managing operations while implementing the new systems.
During a brief Q&A, a commissioner asked whether the city would host in-person help sessions at the library; staff said they would consider public demonstrations and noted a demo is available on the city's website, springfieldohio.gov. Staff encouraged residents having difficulty to call the office for guided assistance.
The work session was formally closed on a motion and second; the clerk recorded a roll call with five "yes" votes and the session ended.
The presentation and demonstration were informational; no ordinance, contract award, or policy vote was taken during the session. Staff outlined next steps as continuing support for customer assistance and incremental updates from the vendor.
