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MANATEE COUNTY COUNTRY STILL TRYING TO FIX BILLING SYSTEM

02/15/00

By Matthew Henry - STAFF WRITER - (Florida)

Manatee County officials still are trying to clean up the county's messy utility billing system.

Six months after a new billing system was supposed to be running smoothly, bills are coming out with incorrect totals and are being mailed to customers within a week of each other.

Stan Stephens, chairman of the County Commission, promised Tuesday during a commission meeting that residents won't be hit with late charges because of the billing snafu.

"It's very important for the public to understand we are sensitive to the problem," he said. "We're going to do everything in the world to try and solve the problem and do it in a timely manner."

Residents who get bills that seem wrong should call the Public Works Department and ask for an explanation, he said.

The county paid Teldata Solutions, a Chicago-based company, $1.8 million to install a new computer system by Sept. 1. The system was supposed to let the county dodge the Y2K computer glitch.

Instead, the new billing system was full of problems, so county utility customers didn't get their December bills until late January or February. Then some residents received their January bills a week later, with a note saying that their December bill payment was past due.

Public Works Director Len Bramble said Tuesday that the county will work to help customers who face large bills.

Charges from the unbilled months slowly will be added to bills in the next few months. During that period, the Public Works Department will not assess late charges.

It will probably be several months before normal bills are sent out, Bramble said.

"The situation is getting better," he said. "It has been very challenging."

Staff writer Matthew Henry can be contacted at 742-6161 or matthew.henry@herald-trib.com. Sarasota Bradenton Venice Manatee Charlotte Longboat Key Siesta Florida beaches Gulf golf news sports weather entertainment

http://www.newscoast.com/headlinesstory2.cfm?ID=21894

-- Dee (T1Colt556@aol.com), February 22, 2000

Answers

Manatees got sucked into the data intake valve ....

-- Squirrel Hunter (nuts@upina.cellrelaytower), February 23, 2000.