1. Utility Billing
The Municipal Suite Utility Billing application automates the billing,
collections and administrative functions for a municipal utility or an
independent utility district. The primary utilities of water, sewer, fire and
refuse, along with special billings are processed with this application
This is truly an integrated system with the Utilities application automatically linked
to the 4gov CENA (Central Name and Address) system and to the Cash Receipts
module for collections.
Direct links to other 4gov applications include posting to the Financial Suite ledgers,
and processing of refunds through accounts payable. A link to Work Orders provides
the integration for scheduling and monitoring Work Orders for one or all
departments.
Service Citizens by being better informed
Customer service is the key to a successful Utility Billing operation. Often the only
continuing contact that the citizen has with the city or agency is with the Utility bills
and requests for service. A major function of the Utility module is for servicing
citizen inquiries about bills and for prompt and efficient payment processing. Your
community can turn a billing and collection function into positive public relations and
promotion for the city.
Key Functionality
 Processing of Residential, Business, and Industrial accounts – move-in, turn-on,
shut-offs
 Customer Full Account Inquiry – Current and Historical information for meter
readings, billing, payments, memo information, adjustments, and special
comments
 Unlimited Customer Notes by dates and events
 Meter Reading Processing and Verification through meter reading devices and
direct entry
 Calculation of bills for multiple cycles and rates for individuals, businesses,
government, not-for-profit, commercial, and industrial enterprises
 Estimating bills, minimums, alternate cycle processing
 Arrears processing, penalty, and interest calculations
 Printing of customer bills, late notices, and communications in the form of self-
mailers, laser printing of forms and data in a single operation, and interfaces to
print stream technology for outsourcing billing and mailing functions. We can
also setup e-Billing and ePay for your accounts.
 Cash Collections via mail, lock box, back-office operations, and ePay
applications.
 Debit Processing for automatic payment and collections
 Account History Analysis
 Lien Processing with interfaces to Tax Systems
 Deposit and Refund Processing
 Route Numbering and Account Re-numbering
 Service Billing Codes and Memo Billing

2. Billing Function
Billing is processed by cycle. Most common is a monthly cycle for commercial
customers, and bi-monthly for residential accounts. Quarterly, semi-annual, yearly
and other cycles can also be used. Special billings can be run for an entire cycle
(special adjustment) or for customers with an action pending, such as turn-on fees
and account closings.
The billing process starts with the entry of meter readings or by selecting the
“estimate bills” option. Readings can be entered by route or processed through an
automated interface from meter reading devices.
One time charges (fixing a damaged meter) or continuing charges (service charges,
sidewalk abatements) can also be included on the bills. There is no limit to the
number of charges on a bill. If a reading is not available, the system can be told to
estimate the bill, with estimating rules set up by you. Various control and error
reports are produced so that any corrections can be made before the bills are printed
and sent.
Accounts Receivable and Collections
The Utility system creates each bill with its associated charges, and saves the details
for each bill with the accounting information, dollar amounts, and meter readings.
An unlimited amount of history can be kept on the computer, and retrieved for
inquiry, analysis, and reporting. Flexible penalty and interest options are defined by
your choices.
Payments are normally processed through the 4gov Cash Receipts system, which
accommodates mail, back-office, lock box, and e-payment operations for any type of
bill payment.
Standard Reports Include:
 Cash Collections
 Meter Readings
 Billing Exceptions- before printing bills
 Billing Calculations and Estimates
 Water Usage Exception Report – Highs and Lows
 Water Usage Historical Analysis
 Meter Replacement Analysis
 Late Notices/Register
 Shut-off Lists/notice
 Late Notice/Lien List
 Labels
 Deposit Refunds Pending
 Billing Rate Code/Memo Billing Lists
 Audit Trail of Changes
Ad Hoc Reports can be developed and printed with the Cyberquery report writer.
ODBC drivers allow you to create and populate Excel spreadsheets or use Crystal and
other ODBC compliant report writers.
 Re-routing of Accounts
 Special District Usage reports
 Interface to Bar Coding and MICR encoding systems to capture and
record payments
 Interface to 4gov CAPPS for printing of refund checks
To learn more about how CDC Software’s 4gov solution can address your needs, call +1 888-288-4634 or visit us at www.4gov.com.
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