PUD upgrading billing system

GAINESVILLE - The Gainesville Public Utilities Department is planning a major upgrade of its billing operations.

The department plans to spend more than $600,000 to revamp the computer system.

Department Finance Director Karen Degges told the City Council Thursday the new system will allow them to offer features like group billing, the No. 1 issue among customers.

"A lot of our customers have been asking us about that for years," Degges said. "This will allow us for the first time to do that. This is the first major upgrade we've had since 1999 so we're excited about it."

Degges said the new system will cut the amount of postage and allow them to handle more customers quicker.

"By allowing a customer with a lot of properties to have just one bill we'll save a lot of postage dollars plus be able to apply charges to a lot of addresses from just one bill instead of having to go through each individual address," Degges said. "That will save us a lot of manhours time-wise and allow us to be able to get to more customers quicker and more efficiently."

Degges said they will first have to run through a testing phase to work out the bugs but the system should be ready by next Spring.

In other council business Thursday, the Gainesville Fire Department is getting a grant to help it battle any future terrorism and/or incidents involving weapons of mass destruction.

Chief Dick Taylor told the Council the city would receive $20,734 from the Office of Domestic Preparedness.

"We had asked for $33,000 but we'll take this much," Taylor said. "There a lot things we need and this will help us get most of them."

The money will be used to buy equipment and other items needed to combat incidents dealing with hazardous materials.

Taylor, however, said he hopes he never has to use any of it.

"That wouldn't be a good thing," he said.