Municipalities’ Implementation of the SBF Model

Pt 1

Strategy

Governments know their target audience well because they are the citizens that they serve. Municipalities’ goals are to reach their targets with property tax, assessment, and water/sewer bills in a cost-efficient, well-designed delivery method.

One of our clients modified their distribution by including a return payment envelope and providing a folded letter-sized document with their bill that offered details about their charges. In addition, they also offered electronic statements and auto-payment options to reduce distribution, payment, and environmental costs.

After feedback from property holders about their water/sewer bills, another client created a delivery system using small postcards, a financially efficient choice. That client also offered electronic statements and auto-payment options for convenience, cost savings, and efficiency. SBF can accommodate multiple strategies, like these, with ease.

Pt 2

Implement

At SBF, we understand the unique circumstances that municipalities face with their data. Information on property holders changes, frequently, and our data is used to adjust the content on resident’s statements, seamlessly.

Some cities, villages, and townships have chosen to blank out the bottom remittance voucher on tax payment forms and eliminate a remittance envelope when the property holder has their loan processor pay from an escrow account. This results in less confusion and fewer accidental double payments.

Other municipalities prefer to include the remittance voucher but withhold the envelope just in case the property was sold and the new owner needs the remittance from to pay taxes. At SBF we offer a number of solutions to make sure the municipality’s goals are met with the taxpayer in mind.

The cities we work with enjoy the fact that SBF returns National Change of Address results ahead of time so that they can make sure all the water/sewer and tax bills reach the appropriate person the first time. At SBF, we have our ears to the ground and whenever a challenge comes up, we can adjust to meet it head-on. Treasurers, assessors and office staff appreciate that they have access to us for changes in the 11th hour.

Pt 3

Looking Ahead

One recent innovation that one of our clients implemented was the use of a QR bar code so residents can scan it with their phone and pay their bill online. SBF has the ability to make QR codes with recipient-specific data embedded so that in the future the recipient may be able to scan the code with their phone, hit a confirmation button, and pay the bill, automatically.

Reduction in returned mail, fewer phone calls from taxpayers with questions or concerns, and faster collection turnaround are some of the successful results we’ve seen in working with governments.