The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

February 6, 2010

Firm lauds billing system set up by city sanitary authority

By Courtney L. Anderson

SHARON — The president of the software company that handles Sharon Sanitary Authority’s accounting systems said he wants to use their story as an example of success in their industry.

Craig Held, owner of Software Systems Inc., said that the authority has put together a staff, data and new billing system in “the space of a couple months.”

That’s “unheard of,” he said.

Held’s firm automates local government and authority’s accounts and sets up billing systems and provides technical support, he said.

The authority uses Held’s firm’s Ubillity software to manage the sewer accounts and Authority Manager Guy Cunningham noted that Sharon has the highest percentage of delinquency — a rate that was as high as 30 percent when the authority took over billing in March 2009 — of any of the Gibsonia-based company’s customers.

The authority is dealing with an “incredible amount of information,” Held said, noting that they have 7,000 customers that are billed monthly. They also have a “huge amount” of delinquent accounts, Held said.

“There’s just so much,” Cunningham said of the data. “We’ve come so, so far in the 9-10 months we’ve been doing this.” In the wake of a judge’s ruling that the authority’s account information is public record, Cunningham spent several hours showing The Herald how the system works and allowing access to delinquency records and specific account information. A list of debtors will be published in The Herald in



The authority had to incorporate data from several sources, including records from Aqua America, the city and Sharp Collections, in order to set up their own system, Held said.

It’s taken some time, but they’ve seen a “phenomenal payoff” from their efforts, Cunningham said.

Since cracking down on scofflaws through more aggressive tactics that include shut-offs, lawsuits and liens, Cunningham said they’ve collected about $1 million beyond what was budgeted.

Held said he’s been in this business for 22 years and that if an entity doesn’t pay attention to delinquencies, people know they can get away with not paying because “no one’s knocking on their door.”

He said customers who keep up with their bills want to know that the “guy down the street” will have consequences for not doing the same.

“Guy Cunningham has made sure that happens,” Held said.

Cunningham credited authority employee Cookie Kepics as a “driving force” behind going after the delinquents and said there was a lot of hard work on the part of his staff.

“There’s no slackers in this office,” Cunningham said.

Held said his employees have a good rapport with the authority’s and their working together will benefit other clients.

“Guy and his group come up with ideas that make sense for other customers,” Held said, and the company incorporates those into their service.

“Everybody is unique,” Held said. “So we end up doing a lot of customization on a functional and report level.”

Those custom reports include lists of delinquent users in Sharon, information The Herald officially requested in June. The authority denied the request at the advice of Solicitor William J. Madden and in August the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records ruled that the information was public and should be released.

The authority appealed the ruling to Mercer County Common Pleas Court and Judge Christopher J. St. John recently issued an opinion agreeing with the state.

In October, Cunningham testified before the judge who heard the Right-to-Know appeal that there was about $1 million in back bills owed to the authority and the city. The authority was formed in late 2007 as the city was borrowing $45 million to build a new plant ordered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Prior to that, the city was in charge of the sewer department. It’s unclear how much sewer debt went uncollected during that time.

Text Only
Local News
  • Storm blows in fast, leaves damage

    A scattered storm that started in Michigan and pulled in moisture over Lake Erie organized itself into a locally-severe storm system Sunday over Mercer County.

    May 28, 2012

  • transit Transit is once-in-a-lifetime show

    A rare celestial wonder that won’t be seen again for more than a century is set to play out before our eyes and Farrell’s resident astronomer  is giving locals a chance to get a first-hand look at a “black dawn.”

    May 28, 2012 1 Photo

  • Ominous clouds Storms rumble through parts of Mercer County

    Temperatures dropped nearly 20 degrees Sunday as storms rumbled through parts of Mercer County in the afternoon and again in the evening. Some areas experienced high gusting winds during the early storms. The later storms were less windy, but dumped a lot of rain in a short span in the Shenango Valley as well as outlying areas. Temperatures are forecast for in the 90s on Memorial Day, with a chance of storms in the afternoon. Check out Sunday's Herald both in print and here for more details.

     

     

    May 27, 2012 1 Photo

  • Board wants pay freeze


    Sharon City School District officials are asking staff to take a wage freeze for the second year in a row to help cover a $1.9 million gap in the 2012-2013 budget in the face of further funding cuts by the state.

    May 27, 2012

  • City taps Pa. grant for downtown facelift


    The colorful flower baskets hanging in downtown Sharon are just one of the planted seeds officials hope will help the once-bustling area grow.

    May 27, 2012

  • pension graphic Pension bomb ticking for city

    The city of Sharon pays more people who don’t work there anymore than folks who still do.

    And the amount of money the city must pay to the retirees is going up about $250,000 next year, a hike that creates more problems for the cash-strapped town, City Manager Scott Andrejchak said.

    May 26, 2012 1 Photo

  • Church softball league to Mormons: You’re out!

    The Grove City Area Church Softball League’s decision to exclude a Mormon team from Slippery Rock has sparked a controversy far beyond the local sandlot.

    May 26, 2012

  • Fired bus driver files lawsuit

    A Mercer County woman fired from her job as a school bus driver over a 25-year-old drug conviction filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against a state education official and Jamestown Area School District.

    May 26, 2012

  • Recycling program a bit too popular

    The  county’s effort at going green by encouraging recycling in rural areas has been a tremendous success by most accounts, but isn’t without a few glitches. In Wilmington Township, residents often only have a window of a few minutes to get cardboard recyclables in before the bin is full, prompting a discussion among Mercer County Commissioners Wednesday morning.

    May 25, 2012

  • District will tap reserve fund

    Reynolds school directors plan to fill a $374,567 hole in the 2012-2013 budget with money from the district’s fund balance.

    May 25, 2012