Cotati City Council
October 13, 2026

1 City Council – October 13, 2026
Prepared by Angela Courter – Administrative Services
Utility Applicant Screening & Collection Services
2 Proposal & Proposer Background
City Of Cotati
• Stopped Formal Collections 2020
• Continued informal by Staff
• RFP issued August 3, 2026
• Selection
• Sole proposal met RFP criteria
• Existing ERP System Interface
ONLINE Overview
• 1986 Purchased by current owners
• Top Tier Experian Reseller
• 1,100+ utilities benefitting from our Exchangebased products and solutions • 6,000+ utility and property management credit
screening clients
• We are a Utility-specific Collections Agency
• Licensed to recover bad debt in all 50 states
• Corporate Headquarters/State of the Art Call
Center located in Winterville, NC
Applicant Screening Best Practices and Benefits
Implementing Best Practices
• Verify applicant identity and prevent application fraud. • Screen a co-applicant if available.
• Capture as much information as possible during the application process • Implement a risk-based customer evaluation for possible additional procedures (co-applicant)
Benefits
• Verify identity, detect fraud and assess the risk of doing business with applicants
• Reduce lost revenues and costly write-offs
• Exchange Database Access
3 Applicant
Screening Process
Integrates directly with customer accounting software currently used.
4 Applicant
Screening Process
Identification Verification
- Check to make sure we have the correct and most
up to date customer information possible
Easy to distinguish Red Green or Yellow result
- Green or Yellow - Proceed through the normal
account-start process
- Red result - Require a second signer with a
green or yellow result
Staff are not proposing changing the deposit amounts
5 Applicant Screening
Process
Exchange Advantage • Displays unpaid utilities including power, phone, gas, sewer, and cable.
• If a new service applicant owes another
utility, ONLINE can set the deposit decision
to the maximum amount so you are
protected.
• Disconnects for Non-Payment are
continually updated by other Exchange
members and reported here.
6 Exchange
Members
Rental Utility
6,000+ utility &
property management
7 Applicants Without an SSN and Businesses
Alternative Best Practice:
• Collect the driver’s license or state ID number
• If neither is available, request an additional signer Business accounts:
• Collect the SSN of a business owner signing for service 8 Collections Process
Efficient Account Processing
• Secure referrals enter the system the
same day
• Updated contact information helps
notices reach customers
• Nightly updates prioritize accounts for
collector follow-up
Personal customer service
• A dedicated utility team speaks directly
with customers
• Collectors discuss payment options with
respect for each customer
• Payment plans or settlements follow
City-approved requirements
ONLINE reports updating addresses on 29% of referred accounts before the first notice Costs of Services
• About $1,573 to $1,708 annually for
primary screenings
• $3.37 per Utility Exchange screening
• $30 monthly web access
• Additional signer screenings increase the
cost
• Collections fee is 35% of amounts
recovered
• Staff recommends up to 20% vendor
discretion
9 10
Questions?
Thank you for your time!
(866) 630-6400
[email protected]
www.ONLINEUtilityExchange.com