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.
