TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to execute a contract, and any amendments thereto, with Intuit Mint Bills, Inc., to provide electronic personal finance services for utility customers. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION\
City Council approval is requested to enter into a contract with Intuit Mint Bills, Inc. (Intuit), to provide Long Beach utility customers with improved options for electronic bill payment. Intuit has developed an electronic mobile application, Mint Bills, which will allow the City’s utility customers to make payments from their mobile phones, tablets or computers.
Customers who use the service can use it for no charge if they pay using Bank ACH (e-check). Customers will also have other utility payment options, for a fee charged by Intuit, depending on the option chosen. A number of City utility customers already use Mint Bills to pay their City utility bills.
There will be no cost to the City with this proposed partnership with Intuit. The contract would greatly improve the interface between Intuit Mint Bills and the City, and allow payments to be processed much faster and with less administrative costs. The contract can be terminated at any time, by either party.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Amy R. Webber on August 13, 2015 and by Budget Management Officer Victoria Bell on August 14, 2015.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action to enter into an agreement is requested on October 6, 2015, to ensure the Mint Bills application can be put in place expeditiously.
FISCAL IMPACT
The staff resources to implement and maintain this improvement are minimal and can be absorbed within existing staff duties with no impact to other services. There are no direct costs to the City for implementation or maintenance of the Mint Bills application. Utility customers using Mint Bills online payment functions are currently not charged if they pay their utility bill using Bank ACH (e-check). Customers are currently charged $1.99 by Intuit for using debit or credit card transactions to pay their utility bills, which is lower than other payment options provided by the City. There is no significant fiscal impact or local job impact associated with this recommendation.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
JOHN GROSS
DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
APPROVED:
PATRICK H. WEST
CITY MANAGER