Starting on July 1st Argos officials will begin using envelopes and full-page billing for utilities rather than the postcard style that’s been utilized up until now.
Clerk-Treasurer Lisa Mullaney stated that officials decided to make the switch to address an issue with the perforation on current bills.
“On January 1st, we got a call from the local post office stating that she had received two great big bags. One of them had half the bill in it and one of them had the other half that you normally turn in with your payment.” Mullaney explained, “So she spent new year’s day trying to match the two ends and taping them together.”
Clerk-Treasurer Mullaney noted that she contacted other municipalities such as Winamac and Walkerton and the officials there indicated they also had to make the switch to full-page billing because they were experiencing similar problems.
Another perk of the new system, according to the clerk-treasurer, is that any additional notices that need to be sent to a resident can be included in the envelope along with their bill.
After conducting a cost analysis, Mullaney said that the switch to full-page bills with color-coded envelopes will actually cost the town about $86 less per month. She mentioned that town council members also considered the purchase of a folding machine to assist with the new process.
