Optimizing Utility Billing in Somerville: Capital Strategic Solutions Leads Strategic Support 

Empowering Somerville with accurate, transparent MUNIS billing—driven by CSS’s Senior Project Manager, Sarah Pawluczonek’s expert guidance and hands-on staff training.

The City of Somerville is taking decisive steps to modernize its utility billing processes—and Capital Strategic Solutions (CSS) is proud to be at the center of this transformation. With the goal of delivering accurate, timely, and transparent municipal billing services to residents, the City has partnered with CSS to provide specialized consulting in support of its MUNIS Utility Billing operations. 

At the helm of this initiative is Sarah Pawluczonek, Senior Project Manager at CSS, whose extensive background in public works and municipal billing ensures a seamless, well-documented, and forward-thinking approach for the City.

Enhancing Accuracy, Efficiency, and Institutional Knowledge 

CSS’s engagement with Somerville reflects a shared commitment to operational excellence and public service. The project encompasses a wide range of activities designed to enhance billing accuracy, train staff, and develop sustainable internal processes. Key components of the engagement include: 

MUNIS Billing Support 

Sarah and the CSS team are actively working with City staff to: 

• Execute accurate billing cycles using the MUNIS Utility Billing software. 
• Create a customized instruction manual of billing procedures using MUNIS Utility Billing Software.  
• Review existing billing procedures, system design and code structures in order to recommend updates that align with industry standards and best practices.  
• Evaluate current practices and procedures to recommend enhancements that can simplify billing operations. 
• Provide “real-time” training to staff and the billing support team in order to streamline account maintenance and reconfigure billing schedules   Oversee bill run processing, sample quality reviews, and the resolution of data anomalies prior to bill distribution. 
• Investigate and troubleshoot challenges like X reads, no reads, and multiple estimated reads to prevent billing delays or inaccuracies. 

System Integration & Data Integrity

A critical aspect of the project involves ensuring that data flows smoothly and accurately from other systems into MUNIS. CSS is playing a key role in identifying and resolving transfer issues, strengthening the reliability of the City’s billing infrastructure. 

Documentation & Process Development

To ensure knowledge is captured and shared, CSS is: 

• Developing a Resource Guide listing key contacts—both internal and external—for rapid issue resolution. 
• Compiling an accessible Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to support consistent staff responses and reinforce best practices. 

Training & Redundancy Planning

A core focus of the engagement is workforce training and capacity building. CSS is delivering targeted training for existing and incoming staff to ensure operational redundancy and minimize disruptions due to staffing changes. 

• Comprehensive skills enhancement and professional development, featuring targeted MUNIS technical training for all staff. 
• Strengthened communication and collaboration, with clearly defined roles and intentional overlap that distributes workloads evenly across five team members instead of concentrating tasks on one or two. 
• In-depth instruction on the MUNIS/Tyler Technologies financial-management platform, establishing redundancy in the billing function and preventing reliance on a single employee. 
• Proactive cross-training that builds bench strength and positions the team to meet future utility-billing staffing needs. 

Looking Ahead: Supporting Strategic Transitions

In addition to current billing support, CSS is assisting the City with two major upcoming initiatives: 

• Implementation of Stormwater Fees: As the City prepares to launch a Stormwater Enterprise Fund in FY26, CSS is helping integrate the new fees into the Water & Sewer billing system. 
• Transition to Quarterly Billing: CSS is guiding the City through its shift from a tri-annual to a quarterly billing cycle, scheduled for completion by July 1, 2025. 

These transitions represent not just system changes, but strategic efforts to improve transparency, customer service, and fiscal planning for the City.