Overview

September 30

Watch Now

Are your billing and collections processes as efficient and streamlined as they could be?

Nearly 40 percent of local government respondents to a recent Center for Digital Government (CDG) survey said the average employee spends 10-20 hours a week on the phone related to billing and payments, with nearly 20 percent saying staff spends more than 3 hours a day just fielding billing and payment-related calls. Overwhelmingly, agencies are also spending time and funds to mail paper bills and take payments in person.

As local governments contend with new expectations from residents and more limitations due to the pandemic and budget shortfalls, there can be a disconnect between their priorities and the most direct route to accomplishing their goals: automation.

Join Governing for 60 minutes on September 30 at 11 a.m. Pacific/2 p.m. Eastern as we discuss how local governments bill and collect payments, their organizational priorities, payment-related challenges and their plans looking ahead.

You’ll learn:

  • How to build and maintain satisfaction among local government employees and residents
  • Where to leverage automation for improved organizational efficiencies, like reduced call volumes and costs
  • How local governments are handling billing and collections moving into 2022

Speakers

 

Patty Melton

Regional Director, Tax, Invoice Cloud

Patty Melton has recently joined the Invoice Cloud team as the Regional Director for Tax. She has had many years of experience in local government, starting in high school folding and stuffing tax bills for her local County Tax Collector. Patty began her professional career working with NACO and NLC on a nationwide campaign encouraging local governments to improve their online presence by setting up websites and electronic payments. She later went on to sell recording/assessing/tax/auditor software solutions and then spent some time selling historical preservation services with digital archiving for local government. All these experiences truly make her a well-rounded local government expert, having worked with nearly every department in the county and having come away with an understanding of how they connect and interact with each other. Patty and her husband have two children, Myles (13) and Kendal (9). And, when she can fit it into her schedule, Patty enjoys Hawaiian Hula and Tahitian dancing with her halau(hah-lao), plus golfing with her friends.

 

Bob Bennett

Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Government

Bob Bennett is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Digital Government and the founder of B2 Civic Solutions, an international smart cities consultancy firm based in Parkville, Mo. From 2016 to 2019 he served in Mayor Sly James’ administration as the Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Kansas City, Mo. During his tenure, he oversaw the city’s smart city initiatives including a 54-block total digitalization pilot, strategy development for the city and P3-based expansion plans.

 

Otto Doll — Moderator

Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Government

As the Minneapolis CIO for seven-plus years, Mr. Doll was responsible for all city IT services. He also served as South Dakota's CIO for 15 years with responsibility for all state government computing, telecommunications, radio, and public broadcasting.

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