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A Newsletter by the City of Saco, Maine	April, 2007	Return to newsletter index

Sending Payments to Lewiston

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Many citizens have called to ask "why am I sending my payment to a PO Box in Lewiston?" We briefly addressed this new service in our last newsletter, but we wanted to explain this a little more so citizens really understand just how this works and why we are doing this.

The bank that works with the City of Saco offers a service called "lockbox payment processing." You send your payment to a PO Box in Lewiston, where their lockbox payment processing service center is located.

The actual process utilized is a technological innovation that eliminates the need for a clerk at City Hall to manually process many routine transactions. Instead, a sophisticated piece of equipment automatically opens and separates mail. Using highly sensitive vacuum conveyances, this machine then moves the payments and coupons from the mail to scanners that record what has been received. Each coupon has a unique numeric code that identifies the particular account and exact bill that is being processed. The coupon and payment information is digitally processed and an electronic report of payment activity is submitted to us, while a deposit of funds received is automatically created and recorded by the bank. Finally, payments with exceptions, such as those with hand written notes that require our personalized attention or payments received with no coupon, are sorted out and mailed back to City Hall to be taken care of.

Throughout this process, there are real people verifying all the automated processes and reviewing all the data prior to finalizing any information.

This service benefits the city and its citizens in many ways. We already noted that it frees up our clerks from having to do manual data entry. That leaves them available to do higher level tasks and gives them the time to take on new projects and services, such as passport processing, which is a new service discussed elsewhere in this newsletter.

It also means that the money the City of Saco collects is deposited the day it is received. This is important because the city earns interest on its deposits and every day counts; such earnings create additional revenues that help control the tax rate.

Lockbox payment processing is a remarkable process that saves the clerks at City Hall time and creates new revenues, and it also is extremely reliable. Many of you have other service providers already using such advanced techniques; it is, in fact, fairly commonplace. However, when it comes to your real estate tax payments, we realize how important it is to you to know your account is properly handled. We hope this information about this new service not only assures you about its quality and benefits, but also reinforces to you that the City of Saco is taking advantage of the most sophisticated technologies in order to provide you with exceptional service.

If you have any questions about this or any other service we offer, please call Stephanie Weaver at 282-1032.