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system is up to that task and making sure that people that we cut off are truly <br />delinquent. And also we need to make sure that the tipping community is informed of <br />this before it happens. In terms of the Wastewater side, we do not have really have any <br />way to keep the public from flushing their toilets. In most jurisdictions, how that’s <br />handled is that the wastewater and the water bills and billings are combined. So if <br />somebody is delinquent in either of those than the water can be shut off. That is not <br />something that has been agreeable. <br />MS. SAKO: <br /> Has it passed through Council? <br />MR. TORIGOE: <br /> Understandably the Water Department is not really thrilled to go in that <br />direction. That generally is the hammer that’s used. Other than that, and I said we’re <br />working on trying to retune our collections systems in-house. That includes looking at <br />some new software. It’s going to be a little while before we can get that online. We are <br />looking at something that is, hopefully we’re going to integrate better both the billing <br />side and the incoming side so that when somebody comes into the landfill, they pass <br />through a weight station. Than that information, hopefully, we’ll be able to put into an <br />integrated software that will be available to not only the people who are monitoring what <br />comes in, what’s being charged, but also people who then bill and collect on. And <br />hopefully, for instance that our billing people will be able to get on that system and get <br />real time information about what a particular hauler is owing us at that point . And then <br />hopefully we’ll also get to generate, make notices that goes from that system. Again, a <br />little bit complicated. A lot of work to be done, but we are moving in that direction. <br />MS. SAKO: <br /> I’d like to add something real quick. They also hired a Collection Clerk. <br />It’s the first time they actually had somebody full time in that position. And this person <br />has only been on staff for a few months and has actually more than paid her salary <br />already by doing those calls quicker and more timely. And is very effective especially I <br />think for the sewer receivables, the homeowner type, the smaller sewer receivables that <br />are very small. It takes many, many, months and years work to get it up to a large <br />enough delinquency amount, where it would make it effective for Molly to go after them. <br />MS. O’HARA: <br /> On the technology side, you say you’re working on this scale house <br />software integrating it into billing, this been worked on for many, many years. What is <br />the hold up? <br />MR. TORIGOE: <br /> That’s a good question. I’ve been in the department for one year and <br />eight months now. And all the time that I’ve been there, basically there’s been staffing <br />difficulties within the accounting and business service section. Sometimes you just get <br />a perfect storm where, I can’t go into details obviously about personnel matters, but for <br />most of the time that I’ve been here, we have been down one to three accountant <br />positions as well as we had account clerks leave. The Collection Clerk position was <br />filled and it didn’t work out. We were fortunate to get this other person. It’s just been a <br />very, <br />MS. O’HARA: <br /> But shouldn’t the design and integration of that software be in the hands <br />of either a consultant contract or other divisions in the county? Is it been dealt with <br />internally by your account clerks? <br />19 <br /> <br />